AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
WITH his eyes wide open, a smile underneath his mask and applause from health workers, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa received a symbolic COVID-19 jab, hours after the Johnson and Johnson vaccines arrived in the country.
Ramaphosa, accompanied by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, received his jab at the Khayelitsha Clinic in Cape Town. He said it was important for him to take the jab to demonstrate confidence and allay any fears about the vaccine.
Mkhize also received a jab.
They were not the first to receive the J&J jab. Nurse Zoliswa Gidi-Dyosi is the first health worker and South African to get a COVID-19 jab. The rollout of the vaccine will see the 80 000 doses that arrived in SA administered to health workers in various centres throughout the country.
Ramaphosa earlier urged community leaders to encourage everyone to be vaccinated.
“We have called on leaders in various sectors and parts of the country to lead by example and get inoculated publicly. We will therefore witness some Premiers, MECs and leaders from civil society, religious formations and traditional leadership being vaccinated in all provinces.
“Through this vaccination programme, the government aims to achieve population immunity to save lives and protect livelihoods. We have chosen vaccination and we call on all South Africans to choose vaccination and protect one another,” the president said.
