South African elite athletes will be receiving their COVID jabs through the Sisonke trial.
South Africa (26 May 2021) – Members of South Africa’s Olympic and Para-Olympic team, some local rugby players and other nonpareil athletes are currently being vaccinated against COVID-19.
This is ahead of International Sporting Events, including the Tokyo Games kicking off in a few weeks’ time.
Glenda Gray, President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, confirmed this.
“The last thousand doses of the Sisonke’s Trial single dose Johnson and Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine are being used for this,” Gray says to goodthingsguy.com.
“The vaccination of these athletes, although not compulsory are taking place at various vaccination sites throughout the country.”
Professor Linda Gail Bekker, Co-National Principal Investigator, in a statement, remarked:
“At the end of the day these individuals are ambassadors for our country, they have to travel to do their jobs and they need to be vaccinated. We are glad we could assist.”
The South African Medical Association (SAMA) supports the decision.
“With the virus being the black cloud over the upcoming Tokyo Olympics the government want to ensure their sportsman is safe,” says Angelique Coetzee, chairperson of SAMA.
“Sport is an area that provides the country with much pride, so this is a real good decision, we support it.”
Bekker says the Sisonke trial enabled the government to make the J&J-vaccine immediately available to healthcare workers using a research program ahead of the third wave.
According to her, this was necessary to safeguard the health system to deal with the third wave of COVID-19 infections and admissions and to vaccinate the rest of the nation.
Sub-studies are ongoing to evaluate the vaccine further in pregnant and lactating women, in health workers living with HIV, older health workers and those with other co-morbidities.
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