Ramaphosa: An additional 500,000 Pfizer vaccine doses have touched down in SA

This is in addition to the 1.3 million Pfizer doses that have already been distributed in the country - with at least half a million administered so far. 

The latest consignment arrives on local shores as the country battles rising infections.

Gauteng, Free State, North West and Northern Cape have entered into the third wave of Covid-19 infections; while the rest of the country has also recorded an alarming spike in cases. 

On Sunday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on the latest changes to regulations in a bid to slow the runaway infections. 

Ramaphosa reaffirmed government’s successful bid to secure enough vaccine doses to inoculate the adult population.

This includes a total of 31 million Johnson & Johnson doses and 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

READ: SA moved to level 2 - restaurants, bars, gyms hit hardest

“Our reliance on the Pfizer vaccine for now has affected the pace at which we are able to open vaccination sites,” Ramaphosa said in a national address on Sunday.

“Due to the properties of the Pfizer vaccine which requires an ultra-cold supply chain, inclusion of smaller sites and sites in more rural areas is limited.”

He admitted there are still some challenges. 

“The scheduled delivery of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines has however been delayed due to regulatory issues related to lack of adherence to proper standards at a manufacturing plant in the United States.

“We are waiting for these issues to be resolved before the first batch of Johnson and Johnson vaccines can be released from the facility in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.

“While this is a challenge that has affected the supply of vaccines for many countries and not just in our country, we are in constant contact with the relevant authorities to ensure that our doses can be released as soon as possible.”

There are at least 400 sites online across the country administering the vaccines.