CABINET has approved the lifting of the suspension of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) Sisonke Vaccination Programme.
Briefing the media on the outcomes of the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, acting minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the temporary suspension of the vaccine in South Africa was in line with the government’s commitment to ensure that comprehensive safety measures are undertaken regarding the vaccine rollout.
The cabinet meeting was the first physical meeting to be held post-Covid-19 lockdown.
She said they have been briefed on the temporary suspension of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) Sisonke Vaccination Programme, which was a precautionary measure that allowed Mzansi scientists to review the South African data on the J&J vaccine.
“The reviewed data had confirmed that South Africa had not experienced any rare blood clots with the already vaccinated healthcare workers,” she said.
She said the cabinet received an update on the Covid-19 infections across the country and commended South Africans for their continued adherence to the non-pharmaceutical health protocols of wearing a mask when in public spaces, maintaining social distancing of about 1,5 metres, and always washing hands with soap and water or using 70% alcohol-based hand sanitisers.
She, however, said the report also indicated a slight increase of 4,9% in persons testing positive in the past 14 days, by 18 April 2021.
“The cases increased from 14 113 in the preceding 14 days to 14 807 cases in the last 14 days. The slight increase in cases is attributed to cluster resurgences in the Free State and Northern Cape, and rapid response teams have been activated to conduct contact tracing,” she said.
