‘I Have The Best Job In The Country'

Professor Glenda Gray chats to YOU about her part in securing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for SA

- Nasifa Sulaiman

She's forgotten what it’s like to have a weekend. Or how it feels to be able to spend time with her family without her phone ringing and some medical expert wanting to pick her brain.

For almost a year Professor Glenda Gray’s every waking hour has been consumed by one thing: using research to help South Africa escape the clutches of the Covid pandemic.

And her colleagues say we should all be grateful for the sacrifices she’s made – because if it wasn’t for her, SA’s vaccination plans might have totally stalled.

There was all-round celebration in January when we secured 1,5 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. But after it came to light that the vaccine wasn’t effective for the South African variant of the disease, the government pulled the plug on the rollout.

It was a devastating setback but just when it looked hopeless, Glenda, who’s president of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), saved the day by helping to secure 500 000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

When she contacted the pharmaceutical company’s bosses they were all ears. After all, it was largely thanks to her efforts that South Africa joined the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial last year.

At one stage the company was reportedly considering not including South Africa as it looked like the disease was on the wane here – but Glenda, who is lead researcher in the trial, persuaded Johnson & Johnson to keep it going.