What does SAâs vaccine plan mean for the countryâs vaccination schedule? By Staff Reporter Share Despite the end of African Vaccination Week , the topic has never been more relevant than now, with South Africa rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination programme. IOL caught up with Dr Kerrigan McCarthy, specialist pathologist at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NCID), to chat about South Africaâs broader Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), as well as the importance of vaccinating children, and data from the national coverage survey McCarthy also busts some major misconceptions about vaccines, including the reported side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines.