South Africa starts weekend vaccinations in Gauteng

South African authorities are giving vaccinations for the first time at the weekend in its economic hub, Gauteng.

The nation’s coronavirus inoculation program was disrupted by unrest last week in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, the regional authority which includes Johannesburg. South Africa has been on virus alert level 4, its second-highest, since late June.

“We are taking this step to open these vaccination sites over the weekend to make sure as many people as possible are vaccinated,” Motalatale Modiba, the head of communications at the Gauteng Department of Health, said in a recorded statement.

Gauteng has been worst affected by the virus, with 805,478 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic. The national death toll from the illness stands at 66,676, with the total number of cases at 2.28 million by July 17.

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