- About 40 healthcare workers at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital were expected to be vaccinated on Wednesday.
- Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi was the first person to receive the vaccine.
- Premier David Makhura said he would receive the vaccine later, with 10.4 million others.
By the end of Wednesday, 40 people would have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
#VaccineRolloutSA Gauteng Health MEC Dr Thembi Mokgethi being vaccinated at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (@ntwaagae) pic.twitter.com/VcJTc9cIYW
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) February 17, 2021
Addressing the media at the hospital, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said he would not be vaccinated on Wednesday and would instead join the queue with other residents in the province.
"I think I am an essential worker, but I am not the first [to be vaccinated]. I am ready to vaccinate, but we start with healthcare workers. I don't qualify to take a vaccine today.
"When we are done with healthcare and frontline workers, we will add essential workers such as teachers and law enforcement officers. We want to vaccinate 10.4 million people in Gauteng, which is 67% of the provincial population. When we say we would have done adequately, we would have reached 10.4 million people."
He added vaccines were safe, especially the one from Johnson & Johnson.#VaccineRolloutSA David Makhura being briefed about the vaccination process at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (@ntwaagae) pic.twitter.com/A7iZxMkMEm
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) February 17, 2021
"It's efficacy and safety have been proven through trials. We are looking forward to more vaccines. Gauteng has received 16 800 doses and 11 000 have been delivered at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and another 5 000 at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.
"With the initial plan of the AstraZeneca, we had 11 hospitals ready and more than 100 sites across the province ready. When scientists told us that AstraZeneca will not work, we had to adapt and make a new plan by utilising Johnson & Johnson. When you fight a pandemic like Covid-19, often you want a vaccine that work."
Makhura said Gauteng healthcare workers and a large section of the population were ready to be vaccinated.