Dylan Bettencourt
Two million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid vaccine which are potentially contaminated will be dumped.
The weekend announcement by acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane comes as the government battles to improve one of the world’s slowest vaccine programmes.
But this time, the government is not to blame.
The vaccines are currently at a Pharma plant in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, and the problem started in the United States.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigated a vaccine production plant in Baltimore over the possible contamination of several batches of vaccines, including the J&J vaccine.
The FDA discovered several sanitary and quality control issues at the plant causing production in the plant to be suspended.
The New York Times reports that FDA inspectors found that workers at the plant did not shower or change their clothing after first working with AstraZeneca ingredients and then with J&J ingredients.
South Africa was set to receive and administer half a million J&J vaccines for teachers. The vaccine has a limited lifespan and expires on 28 June.
The FDA did however confirm that some batches of the J&J vaccine were suitable for use but have yet to say which batches these are and where the vaccines are.
South Africa ordered over 30 million doses of the single-dose J&J vaccine and is relying heavily on the vaccine for the country to reach herd immunity.
The country had planned to vaccinate 220,000 individuals a day but the current average is 40,000 daily.
Image source: @AlJazeera
