SA’S COVID-19 VACCINES EXPIRING EARLIER THAN PLANNED
IT was only when the first million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine arrived at OR Tambo airport last week that health authorities received a surprise: the shots were expiring well before what had been planned for.
There was much fanfare on Monday last week when the doses arrived on an Emirates fight, in the pouring rain, at the country’s largest airport.
President Cyril Ramaphosa — who would address the nation just hours later, singing the benefits of the now-landed vaccine — was on the tarmac to cheer on the arrival of the plane. Alongside him was his second-in-command, David Mabuza, and health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, as well as other dignitaries.
But the celebration was seemingly short-lived, as it was only after the vaccines — manufactured by the Serum Institute of India — were inspected did officials realise that they were expiring earlier than expected.
This shocking admission was made on Sunday night during a question-and-answer session following a press briefing on the effectiveness of the vaccine against the current dominant Covid-19 variant in SA, known as 501. V2 or B. 1.351.
Health department deputy director-general Anban Pillay said: “Look, the expiry date on the vaccines ordinarily are six months. These vaccines just have a six-month expiry date.”
This means that it could be reasonably be assumed that the vaccines would last into the middle of the year. However, this was found not to be the case.
“Unfortunately, these vaccines came through with an expiry date in April, which we only identified upon arrival,” said Pillay.
He said the country was now speaking to the Serum Institute of India “for an extension of the date, if that’s possible”. Alternatively, he said that the country was seeking an exchange of the stock “so that we can have vaccines with a long expiry”.
“We are just waiting for a response on that,” he said.
The expiration date will give another headache to health officials, with Mkhize saying on Sunday night that the vaccine rollout was put on hold because of findings that the AstraZeneca vaccine was not effective against mild and moderate Covid-19 infection from the B. 1.351 variant. —
A TRADEMARK collapse from South Africa’s batting department saw them crumble to a bitterly disappointing 95-run defeat against Pakistan on day five of the second Test at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi yesterday afternoon.
The result sees Pakistan pick up their first Test series win over the Proteas in 17 years, as they sealed an impressive twonil win over the visitors.
The Proteas will, however, wonder what could have been as they were in with a huge chance of claiming a massive win shortly after lunch with the score 241 for three in pursuit of 370 to win, however as has become commonplace with this team the final seven wickets tumbled for just 33 runs as they crashed to 274 all out.
This was despite a wonderful century from Proteas opener Aiden Markram (108), however, it was the introduction of the new ball after 80 overs that sparked the host’s fightback as Hasan Ali, 5-60, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, 4-49, returned to the attack to tear through the Proteas middle and lower order.
Ali will take the plaudits having picked up superb match figures of 10-116 after he claimed 5-56 in the first innings.
EXTRAVAGANT DRIVE
The Proteas had resumed their innings confidently after lunch with Markram unbeaten on 100 and Bavuma on 44, with Bavuma bringing up his 50 with a boundary off Yasir Shah in the 76th over, and then he then brought up the pair’s hundred partnership with a two off the bowling of Faheem Ashraf in the 79th over.
The 82nd over saw the match turn on its head as Ali bowled a good length delivery that just nipped away from Markram who, having got his feet stuck in the crease, chased the ball only to edge it straight to Imran Butt at second slip, with Markram hitting his bat in despair on his way off.
The very next delivery saw captain Quinton de Kock play an extravagant drive at a wide delivery and edge it straight to Butt at second slip again, with the Proteas suddenly on 241 for five.
Wiaan Mulder (20) then joined Bavuma, with them the last two recognised batsmen before getting into the tail and despite Mulder flicking Afridi for a boundary to take the Proteas past 250 in the 87th over, Bavuma then pushed at one in the corridor of uncertainty at the end of the over to edge behind to keeper Mohammad Rizwan to reduce them to 253 for seven.
The rest of the batsmen then showed little resistance as Ali picked up George Linde for four and Afridi accounted for Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada both for ducks, while Mulder was then the final wicket to fall, bowled by Shah to end the match.
ROY KEANE stuck the boot into Liverpool with a scathing attack and sneered: ‘They have been bad champions’.
Former Manchester United skipper Keane slammed the mentality of Jurgen Klopp’s players and the stream of excuses which have come from their manager.
Keane, working as a Sky Sports pundit, said: “They’re making a lot of excuses.
“They’ve been bad champions and I don’t just mean this game.
“There’s a way to get beat. They all believed their own hype over the last year.
“The players weren’t talking about doing it again and now they’re talking all of a sudden about being in the top four.”
Klopp falsely claimed before the game that Manchester City were top of the league because they had a two-week break due to Covid.
He then blamed Alisson’s pair of blunders in the 4-1 defeat to City on the Brazilian keeper getting cold feet.
It means the champions are now a staggering 27 points behind where they were at the same stage of last season.
Keane continued: “People keep telling me Liverpool are a huge club, but if you are you’ve got to deal with setbacks.
“Man City are missing two of their best players. Klopp said the keeper’s feet are cold. That’s a new one.
“It’s excuse after excuse. Klopp said Man City had a break because of the virus and the excuses goes on and on.
“They lost 7-2 to Aston Villa and that was
WITH Virgil van Dijk.
“You can say one-off, freak season, get on with it.
“Keep performing like that and it will be another 30 years before they win the league.”
“Man City are missing two of their best players. Klopp said the keeper’s feet are cold. That’s a new one.
“It’s excuse after excuse. Klopp said Man City had a break because of the virus and the excuses goes on and on.
“They lost 7-2 to Aston Villa and that was WITH Virgil van Dijk.
“You can say one-off, freak season, get on with it.
“Keep performing like that and it will be another 30 years before they win the league.” — Sun.
KAIZER CHIEFS coach Gavin Hunt says he is “embarrassed” after his side were bundled out of the Nedbank Cup on Sunday, beaten 2-1 by GladAfrica Championship side Richards Bay at FNB Stadium.
Richards Bay took the lead through Thabani Dube, who was an ever-present when then second-tier side TS Galaxy lifted the Nedbank Cup in 2019, beating Chiefs in the final.
The AmaKhosi equalised thanks to their Colombian forward Leonardo Castro with 14 minutes to play, but Richards Bay found a dramatic winner when veteran forward Siyabonga Vilane scored in injury-time at the end of the game.
“It’s embarrassing. On a personal level I don’t think I have ever lost to a First Division team in 26, 27 years in football,” Hunt admitted.
“But they got a lifeline. We had so many opportunities but you’ve got to take them. When you play against a team like Richard’s Bay you’ve got to score first but they got the upper hand.
“We committed two bad errors at the back but in saying that I’ve got to take a good, hard look at the squad. You can’t be delusional about these things. There’s a lot. I don’t want to say too much.
“We had numerous chances in the first half but we didn’t make that final ball count and even when we went down to men we still had numerous chances and you’ve got to do better.
“A few people you give a chance here and there and obviously proves me right. And then we make the changes but then obviously the one or two that came on need to do better.”
Hunt feels his side have to be better in possession and “work harder” to get the upper hand in matches.
“We’ve got to work a little harder. We’ve got to make situations better. We’ve got to work a little bit more. We just want the ball to feet all the time.
“We turned the ball over in the right-back position, we kicked it straight to the guy and they turned over and went down the other side and you look at situations and you think ‘Why he’s there when he shouldn’t be there? Same player for both goals.
“I know what’s in front of us. I know what’s in front me so we’ve got to be better.
“It’s been like from that from the start. We’ve got to have more legs in the team, you know? A bit more mobility. All these types of things. But we’ve got to get through, and we’ve got to grind away and turn the corner and go again.”
Chiefs are next in action away at top Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in the CAF Champions League on Saturday.