Mkhize hails Pfizer as silver lining amid J&J moratorium
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says it's not all bad news after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout was temporarily halted in the country.
On Tuesday evening, Mkhize announced that the South African government had decided to follow suit from the United States after a report of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine.
Almost 290 000 frontliners have been inoculated since February.
The remaining healthcare workers will now have to wait until health officials have concluded some investigations to establish if there is a link between the Johnson & Johnson jabs and the reported clotting.
Mkhize said the latest developments weren't a cause for concern.
"I humbly call for calm and patience as we ensure that we continue to be properly guided by science in ensuring the safety of our people as we rollout the vaccine campaign.
“We hope that the deliberations will only take a few days. Given the preliminary literature on hand, our scientists are confident that the FDA’s decision is on a precautionary basis and we expect that this will not result in the complete withdrawal of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine from the vaccination armament," he assured.
In addition to Johnson and Johnson, the country has penned deals with other manufacturers.
"I am glad to say, however, that there are good news in the midst of this development.
"I am happy to announce that we have successfully negotiated for another 10 million doses from Pfizer, and of these, we expect just under 2 million to be delivered in May," said Mkhize.
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