Kathmandu, February 2. South Africa on Monday received 1 million quills of AstraZeneca vaccines produced by the Serum Institute of India. 

Earlier in December, South Africa had ordered 1.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from India. The rest half a million is expected to be delivered by the end of February. 

The South African government is preparing for a vaccination campaign to inoculate 40 million people, 67% of the country’s total population by 2021. The campaign will begin in mid-February. According to media reports, 1.25 million health workers will be vaccinated in the first phase.

Fearing the theft, the government has decided to store the imported vaccines in a highly secured central secret place from where the consignment shall pass to various hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. 

Last month, the official spokesperson of the Health Ministry Popo Maja said “The vaccines are a highly-rated commodity once they’re stolen and reach the black market. So, we may not even disclose where it is being centrally stored.”

President Cyril Rampahosa inspected the shipment before loading into trucks. The vaccines will pass through tests of efficacy before being supplied to the health institutions.

South Africa has been largely affected by the pandemic. More than 14 lakhs viral cases and 44 thousand deaths have been reported so far.