This archive report was first published on 19 May 2021.
South Africa has finally rolled out its much-anticipated campaign to vaccinate over-60s, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu among the first to receive a Covid-19 jab on Monday.
At 89 years old, Tutu, a retired archbishop and anti-apartheid icon, received his shot at Cape Town's Brooklyn Chest Hospital, accompanied by his wife Leah.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize visited an elder care facility in Krugersdorp, where he watched as nurses administered jabs to residents.
Despite being Africa's worst virus-hit country, with over 1.6 million cases and 55,210 deaths, South Africa has vaccinated fewer than 480,000 people, mainly healthcare workers.
However, the government claims it has ordered enough doses to vaccinate at least 45 million of the estimated 59 million population.
"Five million senior citizens are targeted to be completed by the end of June, provided that the supply of vaccines flow as anticipated," Mkhize said.
South Africa and India are leading a global campaign to waive intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines, citing the need to address the disparity in vaccination rates between rich and poor countries.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the situation as "vaccine apartheid," where populations in advanced countries are safely inoculated while millions in poorer countries die in the queue.
