S. Africa To Receive 1st Batch Of COVID-19 Vaccine From India On Monday - Heath Ministry

JOHANNESBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2021) The first batch of the Indian-produced coronavirus vaccine Covishield will reach South Africa's shores on February 1, the health department confirmed to Sputnik.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize first made the announcement at a webinar on Wednesday evening. The vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is produced in India under the brand name Covishield.

"Yes I can confirm that the vaccines will leave India on Sunday and we anticipate them to arrive in South Africa on Monday," the health department's spokesperson, Popo Maja, said.

The country is planning to vaccinate 67 percent of the population, roughly 40 million people in order to achieve herd immunity.

There will be a three-phased approach based on the availability of vaccines.

The first targets health care workers. The second would expand the rollout to essential workers, individuals over 60 years old and people with comorbidities who are at particularly high risk. In total, 16.5 million people are targeted in this phase. In the third phase, the general population older than 18 years would get the shots - a total of 22.5 million people.

South Africa has the largest COVID-19 tally on the continent. The country has so far logged over 1.4 million cases, including 1.2 million recoveries and some 42,500 deaths.