By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize confirmed that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa has risen to 1 491 807.
This is an increase of 1744 new cases identified in the last 24 hours.
Mkhize said the cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 697 066 with 24 470 new tests recorded since the last report.
The minister said a further 78 more COVID-19 related deaths were reported: Eastern Cape 2, Free State 10, Gauteng 37, Kwa-Zulu Natal 5, Mpumalanga 9 and Western Cape 15 which brings the total to 47 899 deaths.
Mkhize added that the recoveries now stand at 1 388 321, representing a recovery rate of 93%.
Meanwhile The expiry date of the one million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines secured by the South African government is a far bigger problem than authorities are letting on – and there’s nothing that can be done about it, according to reports.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is a two-dose inoculation, with the recommendation that the second dose be administered 12 weeks after the first. Initial trials had the second dose administered anywhere between four and 12 weeks, with more recent studies erring on the latter end of the scale.
Even if someone was vaccinated on day one of the phase one rollout (15 February), the vaccine would have expired by the time of the second dose. A day-one vaccine recipient would require a second shot on 10 May – a month after the vaccines expire.
In the case with South Africa’s batch, the April expiry date has given government just two months to make use of them. Assuming further batches were coming, this would have required 15,000 vaccinations a day, starting Monday.
Government officials only found out about the expiry date on the day the vaccines arrived in the country.
The relationship between government and the Serum Institute of India (SII) has reportedly soured, with the SII refusing to give the country new doses, and government refusing to pay for the second batch of 500,000 vaccines which were to be delivered in March.
The other issue is the question of what to do with the vaccines already in the country.
Health experts have suggested using the vaccines on patients who are high risk or in serious condition – while other measures have been suggested, like selling, or donating the vaccines to other countries.
It cost South Africa R78 million to procure the doses.
The country has since pivoted to using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, where 80,000 doses are expected to roll out this week. However, doctors and other healthcare workers have expressed some worries about the lack of clarity and planning around the shift.