South Africa reviewing data of Chinese, Russian vaccines for registration

CAPE TOWN, July 1 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's national health products regulator is reviewing the data relating to Chinese and Russian COVID-19 vaccines including Sinovac, Sinopharm and Sputnik for registration, a necessary procedure before they can be procured, a health official has said.

Deputy Director General for National Department of Health, Anban Pillay, also told the parliament's Portfolio Committee on Health that the Delta variant first detected in India has become the dominant variant in many countries around the world, including South Africa, the parliament said in a statement released here on Thursday.

He also said the health ministry aims to flatten the curve of transmission of the virus, reduce hospitalization and reduce the rate of mortality through the current lockdown.

As of June 30, South Africa has administered 3,026,636 vaccines in total, including 120,172 administered in the past 24 hours.

Following the first phase for healthcare workers only, the current second phase inoculations started with persons aged 60 years and above and are opening up to the over 50-year-old people and people in the active economy.

Registration for those aged 50 and above, who were excluded in the second phase initially, will open from Thursday and they will get the chance to receive vaccines from July 15, acting Health Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane announced last Friday.

The nation that has the highest national tally of 1,973,972 cases in Africa expects to immunize over 40 million people through the three phases of vaccination.