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What is herd immunity anyway? Here’s how many people South Africa should vaccinate

  • South Africa is planning to vaccinate two-thirds of its population to reach herd immunity.
  • But the math isn’t that straightforward because it depends on the amount of protection each COVID vaccine provides.
  • For example, if the country follows this plan with the Johnson & Johnson jab, we would not have sufficient protection to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

At the start of the year, the health department unveiled its plan to vaccinate 40-million South Africans as part of a three-phase roll-out. They said 67% of the population would need to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity. Here’s why ending COVID is not that simple.
  • Read the full script here.

Yolanda Mdzeke is a multimedia reporter at Bhekisisa.

Aisha Abdool Karim was a senior health reporter at Bhekisisa from 2020 to 2022.

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