[mzltest]

You guys are lucky to have a choice of getting the vaccines.  In South Africa they have only vaccinated a percentage of health workers so far and one could say even it was "experimental" as Johnson & Johnson was first tested in South Africa.  The Johnson & Johnson vaccines to date have been free vaccines.  We received good news last night that more batches of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine (80,000 every two weeks) will be received from end of this month.  It will take a very VERY long while before any makes it my way.  Maybe the end of the year if we are lucky, and who knows what will have happened with the Covid variants.  Lots can change.

What is quite humorous for me (well maybe not for those who receive it in the end), South Africa has only vaccinated a "drop in the ocean" number of its population - like total of vaccinations is 232,000 (out of 58 million people), however South Africa is now in the process of exporting all of its AstraZeneca vaccine supply to other countries in Africa.  Well, at least one can say there is no waste of the vaccine.  The vaccine had to be dropped as when it was tested there was a negative reaction in the elderly to it.  This created a great media backlash - and refusal by the population to use it.  Some scientists still stand by it saying that it is a good vaccine for very serious cases, but the vaccine has been rejected in overall by the Government because of the negative reaction.

The vaccine will only be useful when massive people get immuned to the virus and yes,who knows the protection is still available to new virus.Local media here also reported a new variant of virus imported that could affect the vaccine that gets public-wide used.And don't forget,we are using Vero vaccines rathet than the new mRNA vaccines,which means less protection to new variants.

The old here is not suggested to take the shot as the age range for this is 18 to 60.Maybe after enough reactions they will make the range wider.

And exporting the vaccined that the local people are needing....That sounds like what Minister of Foregin Affairs here would say.Just for the "international reputation".