JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is preparing to give its first COVID-19 vaccinations — shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine still being tested — to health care workers this week. Health minister Zweli Mkhize told parliament that the first batch of 80,000 doses of the J&J vaccine, which has not been authorized for general use in South Africa or anywhere else in the world, is expected to arrive in the country imminently and will be given to health care professionals. The J&J vaccines will be administered as an observational study, in which no placebo shots will be given and the health and future infections of all participants will be tracked.
