South Africa’s health minister has announced that the country will start giving Covid vaccines to 12- to 17-year-olds from next week, using the Pfizer jab, as part of a plan to boost inoculation before exams start.
Friday’s statement comes a month after South Africa’s Health Products Regulatory Authority approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children aged 12 and older, allowing the government to begin planning jabs for a wider age range.
rHealth Minister Joe Phaahla said in a statement. He added that “the timing of the second dose will be informed by further information on this rarely observed side-effect which has no permanent risk.”
The decision to vaccinate children aged 12 and older comes as the government prepares to begin administering booster shots to high-risk healthcare workers, who were among the first to receive Covid jabs around eight months ago.
Also on rt.com 56 arrested after S. African ministers ‘held hostage’ by military veterans demanding reparations for fight against white ruleThe South African health minister confirmed a final decision would be taken on booster shots after the country’s regulator approved the J&J one, which is currently under review.
Out of its population of over 59 million, South Africa has so far only managed to administer 17.815 million doses of a Covid vaccine to its citizens. Since the start of the pandemic, South Africa has reported 2,913,800 confirmed cases of the virus and 88,466 fatalities to the World Health Organization.
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