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Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has confirmed that the first batch of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is on course to arrive in the country on Monday next week.
Dr Mkhize was briefing the nation on Wednesday night, focusing on the expanded vaccination strategy and rollout plan.
He said one million doses of the vaccine will be dispatched from the Serum Institute of India on Sunday and are expected to arrive in South Africa on Monday.
After the arrival, it will undergo some technical processes of quarantine, quality assurance and reconciliation that are necessary for safe distribution.
Dr Mkhize says these processes could take up to two weeks.
An additional half a million doses are expected later in February.
The rollout of the vaccine will take a three-phase approach, with frontline healthcare workers the first to benefit.
Dr Mkhize says the South African government has also reached an agreement with the Covax Facility to secure vaccines to immunise 10% of the population.
These doses are expected at the beginning of the second quarter of the year.
He says work with pharmaceutical companies continues to ensure 67% of the population is inoculated by the end of the year.
