New batch of COVID-19 vaccines part of clinical trials

New batch of COVID-19 vaccines part of clinical trials

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JOHANNESBURG – The new batch of COVID-19 vaccines will also form part of a clinical trial.

On Saturday, 70,000 Johnson & Johnson doses arrived in the country.

So far, over 182,000 health workers have received the jab.

READ: More J&J vaccines expected to arrive in SA

However, there are concerns that government will not reach its target of inoculating at least a million people by mid-April.

“As soon as the vaccines are available, I’m sure the pace of delivering the vaccines will be much faster,” said Jeffrey Mphahlele of the South African Medical Research Council.

“But clearly, the schedule is running behind and we can only hope that more vaccines will be available soon.”

READ: COVID-19 vaccine: Government confident about herd immunity

Meanwhile, National Health Care Professionals Association Chairperson, Donald Gumede, said South Africa is unlikely to reach its 2021 coronavirus herd immunity target.

“Look at the bigger picture. We are 60 million people in the country and then you have inoculated — give or take 200,000 — we are far from reaching what we call herd immunity,” he said

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