The South African government is encouraging citizens to get inoculated and get booster COVID-19 jabs.
Claims that South Africa is considering banning coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines because of deaths are FALSE.
Various tweets — here, here, and here — alleged that South Africa has considered stopping its COVID-19 vaccine rollout because it caused “millions of deaths”.
According to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority’s (SAHPRA) data, there have been two deaths linked to COVID-19 vaccines.
Both fatalities were related to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after patients received the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. GBS is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nervous system, causing muscle weakness or breathing failure in severe cases.
“The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh the very low risk of severe adverse events, including GBS,” a SAHPRA statement said.
Up to 30 November 2022, SAHPRA received 232 reports of deaths after more than 37.5 million vaccine doses had been administered. Of these reports, 162 were coincidental and not linked to vaccines, and 30 were not classified due to inadequate information.
SAHPRA has recorded 7,546 adverse effects from 37.5 million doses as of 31 December 2022.
Research has shown that booster shots increase protection against the latest variants of the novel coronavirus. Vaccines are effective against SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and are safe for adults, pregnant women, and children.
South Africa has not stopped the COVID-19 rollout. Instead, the government is encouraging citizens to get inoculated and get booster COVID-19 jabs.
South Africa has recorded 102,595 deaths associated with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
PesaCheck has examined a claim that millions of South Africans have died because of COVID-19 vaccines and finds it to be FALSE.
