Kubayi-Ngubane: We’ve passed third wave peak, but 47 000 vaccines ‘lost’ in unrest

Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane had some good news and bad news in her latest briefing on the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa on Friday.

While announcing that the country seems to be over the peak of the third wave, she revealed that more than 47 000 Covid-19 vaccines were lost in last week’s unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

This has affected South Africa’s vaccination drive with around 120 private sector run pharmacies ransacked and damaged in the riots.

Public sector storage sites were largely unaffected.

Read: SA to start vaccinating 35-49 age group from August 1

“All indications are that we have passed the peak of the third wave and the overall number of cases have started to decline,” Kubayi-Ngubane noted.

“However, we are cautioning, and we are extremely worried because of the many gathering that we saw during the unrest in the two provinces, may lead to another surge in numbers,” she added.

Read: Cape Town’s vaccine manufacture coup

* Developing story…