Thread by @miamalan

[Thread]. 1. This morning @ZweliMkhize announced that the Sisonke trial, which uses #JohnsonandJohnson’s #COVID19 jab, will resume on Wednesday. So what happens now?

2. Up until now, the Sisonke trial has vaccinated about 300 000 #HealthWorkers. @SAHPRA1 paused the trial in April, after the FDA/CDC in the US temporarily halted its #JandJ roll-out due to the occurrence of 8 rare blood clotting disorders among about 7 million vaccinated people.

3. None of the blood clots that occurred in the US, occurred in SA's Sisonke trial (likely because it’s so rare and we’ve only vaccinated about 300 000 people vs. the US’s 7 mil). The US unpaused its #JandJ roll-out on Fri after the FDA cleared the jab. bit.ly/2PsRgGA

4. How many #HealthWorkers will Sisonke vaccinate? 500 000, so they’ve got about 200 000 left to do. 500 000 workers are just less than half of a total of 1.2 million workers who need to get vaccinated against #COVID19 in SA. So how will the rest get vaccinated?

5. Sisonke will have 95 vaccination sites. The sites will also be used for SA’s commercial roll-out among health workers (beyond the Sisonke trial). #Mkhize this morning: Phase 1 (#HealthWorkers) will end on May 16. The idea is to have all 1.2 million workers vaccinated by then.

6. Where are the 95 sites? A list will be published in the next edition of “I Choose Vaccination Bulletin” on the SA coronavirus website. (The last edition was published on Feb 27th). Note: These are only 95 of an eventual 3 338 sites: bit.ly/3u4OW7q

7. Who counts for #HealthWorkers? Everyone who works at a health site, so not just doctors and nurses, also cleaners, receptionists, porters, etc. Traditional healers can also now register on the EVDS to get vaccinated as health workers. Register here: vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/

8. Are there new rules for when someones gets a #JohnsonandJohnson jab? Yes.
1. Intensified pre-vaccination screening + post vaccination monitoring.
2. Sisonke participants have to be informed of the potential blood clotting risk (even though the risk is only 1 in a million).

9. What about those #HealthWorkers who haven’t yet been vaccinated, but had already registered to get a jab via Sisonke, without being informed about the blood clotting risk? They'll receive an SMS asking them to consent again on a form where the risk is indicated.

10. The new #JandJ consent form will be accompanied by a patient info leaflet that will spell out everything a Sisonke trial participant needs to know about the safety and efficacy of the J&J #COVID19 jab. This info is more or less the same as the guidance of the FDA in the US.

11. Can anyone in SA get vaccinated with the #JandJ jab? No. For now, @SAHPRA1 says pregnant +lactating women can’t. @WHO recommends the same. Why? We don’t yet have conclusive evidence about the risk the jab holds for these groups. bit.ly/2QW58tl

12. So what symptoms (that could indicate the risk of developing a blood clot) do people getting the #JandJ jab need to look out for?
1. Severe, unrelenting headaches
2. Abdominal pain
3. Vomiting
4. Blurry vision

More here: bit.ly/3gDGYOV

13. What should you do if you received a #JandJ jab + have symptoms that indicate you're at risk of a (note: extremely rare type of) blood clot?
1. Seek medical attention/call the #COVID hotline.
2. Report the symptoms on @SAHPRA1’s Med Safety App.

bit.ly/3dQpZak

14. In the case of severe vaccine-related injury, you’ll be able to claim from SA's vaccine injury fund, though many details re this fund are still lacking. #Mkhize says forms with step by step guidelines will soon be published. You won’t need a lawyer. bit.ly/3aEF6Sg

15. When will SA start to vaccinate people other than #HealthWorkers? 17 May (people over 60). Which jabs will we use? #JohnsonandJohnson (only one shot required) and #Pfizer (two shots required).

16. When will our first batches of jabs arrive? These dates change all the time. Latest: 1.1 million doses (of 31 million) #JohnsonandJohnson jabs. “Within the coming days”. Where will the jabs come from? Aspen in Gqebherta. 650 000 doses #Pfizer (of 30 million): “Before May 17.”

17. Will we be able to use the #JohnsonandJohnson and #Pfizer jabs immediately after arrival? No. Samples of the jabs will first have to be tested at the National Control Lab in Bloemfontein. Only after the jabs have been cleared, can they be distributed to vaccination sites.

18. Who will transport the jabs to provinces? Three companies have been appointed (contracts = from April 2021 to 31 Dec 2022):
1. DSV Logistics
2. Imperial logistics
3. Biovac

19. How many vaccination sites will there be in total? 3 338. How many are ready? 2 369 have been registered on a masters facility list and are undergoing approval. How will you know where they are? The sites will be published on @HealthZA + the SA coronavirus websites.