By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize says the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases for South Africa is 1 554 975.
This is an increase of 1 366 new cases identified in the last 24 hours.
Mkhize said the number of tests conducted to date is 10 055 899. Of these 35 874 tests were completed since the last report.
The minister added that 62 more COVID-19 related deaths have been reported: Eastern Cape 1, Free State 11, Gauteng 8, Kwa-Zulu Natal 2, Limpopo 0, Mpumalanga 5, North West 30, Northern Cape 5 and Western Cape 0. This brings the total to 53 173 deaths.
The cumulative recoveries stand at 1 480 632, representing a recovery rate of 95%, said Mkhize.
Vaccination Rollout:
The number of health care workers vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol is 283 629 as reported at 18:30 today.
Mkhize also announced that the second phase of the country’s vaccination rollout will begin on 17 May.
This, he announced in Gauteng on Thursday, was owing to the millions of vaccine doses that are expected to land in South Africa in the next coming weeks.
He said the country has secured a combined 51 million jabs in the agreements that have been signed with various drug makers, aimed at 42 million people.
According to Mkhize, 31 million are from Johnson & Johnson (J&J), while 20 million will come from Pfizer.
Also, the country is expecting about 1.2 million vaccines from COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, COVAX.
“This means we can now move ahead with confidence as we finalise our plans for our mass rollout campaign.”
“The Minister told journalists that 17 May marks the end of the phase one vaccination programme, aimed at healthcare professionals, and the beginning of the second round.
“We said the second phase should take us six months and therefore, we’re still sticking to that,” he said, adding that it will be wrapped up in October.
Mkhize said government is still working hard to procure more jabs to ensure that those who may be unaccounted for or undocumented, are also immunised to reach herd immunity.