By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize says the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases for South Africa is 1 569 935.
This is an increase of 1 569 new cases identified in the last 24 hours.
Mkhize said a further 53 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported: Eastern Cape 17, Free State 11, Gauteng 8, Kwa-Zulu Natal 3, Limpopo 0, Mpumalanga 1, North West 0, Northern Cape 9 and Western Cape 4, which brings the total to 53 940 deaths.
The number of tests conducted to date is 10 413 180. Of these 34 091 tests were completed since the last report and cumulative recoveries stand at 1 495 864, representing a recovery rate of 95%, said Mkhize.
South African researchers hope to next week resume a study using Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine to immunise healthcare workers, one of the scientists leading the programme said on Wednesday.
South Africa suspended the study last week after U.S. federal health agencies recommended pausing use of J&J’s vaccine because of rare cases of blood clots.
“We do hope to start again next week,” South African Medical Research Council President Glenda Gray, co-principal investigator of the Sisonke study, said during a webinar on Wednesday.
So far around 290,000 health workers have been given J&J’s vaccine in the study, which is further evaluating the shot before the first commercial batch of doses becomes available later this month.
The government says it has secured 31 million doses of J&J’s one-shot vaccine and 30 million doses of Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine, and is counting on them to be able to ramp up vaccinations after a slow start. It expects Pfizer to supply shots from early May.
Mkhize said on Tuesday that officials were still consulting about restarting the J&J vaccine study but that he was “quite comfortable” the matter would be resolved soon.
For the Sisonke study to resume, Gray said researchers needed to get informed consent processes approved and make sure there were mechanisms in place to identify health workers with clotting disorders.
Through its agreements with J&J and Pfizer, South Africa has secured enough vaccines for 46 million of its roughly 60 million population.