Gift Tlou
Johannesburg - The government’s announcement of the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines across the country has received mixed emotions.
This comes after Health Minister Zweli Mkhize stated that there were currently more than 240 Covid-19 vaccines in development worldwide, with more than 42 in clinical trials and several that had emerged as being effective after phase 3 studies.
A ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19 vaccines has since been appointed. The committee is set to develop a strategy to ensure equitable access to vaccines.
"We are targeting a minimum of 67% of the population to achieve herd immunity, and the approach will be a phased roll-out of the vaccine, beginning with the most vulnerable in our population," Mkhize said in a briefing on Sunday.
Cosatu called the Health Minister’s briefing “incomprehensible” and “of a leadership that has been caught napping in the face of a deadly pandemic ravaging the country”.
“A solid and convincing vaccine acquisition and distribution strategy should have been developed earlier and by now. The government should be starting the rollout process and not making vague commitments,” Cosatu said in a statement.
“It is clear that we are dealing with colossal mismanagement of the vaccine procurement process and front-line workers, the elderly and those with co-morbidities will pay with their lives.”
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) has described the government's plan as "scant and ambiguous".
"The plan by the minister did not have a clear logistical roll-out plan for vaccination, for example in terms of training of the clinicians to vaccinate, or the geographic layout of the vaccination, especially for the vulnerable cohorts."
Nehawu said negotiations with vaccine manufacturers should have started long ago. It said the government had been caught napping while the country faced a deadly pandemic that had killed millions of people across the world.
“Because of the delay by the government to start negotiations with vaccine manufacturers and participation in the Covax facility we are now bearing the brunt of the scarcity of vaccines, and have to wait for availability while other countries have begun their roll-out. This takes place while the infection rate is rocketing daily and many people are losing their lives to the virus.”
Solidarity has demanded that the government accelerate the provision of vaccines to health-care workers.
Solidarity chief executive Dr Dirk Hermann said that health-care workers were the modern-day heroes of South Africa, and that they worked incredibly long hours under difficult conditions.
“Solidarity argues that bilateral talks with companies should be given the highest priority. According to Solidarity, health-care workers cannot wait for the slower Covax process.”
Hermann said they were concerned that this phased approach would once again be poorly managed, which would lead to further delays and put added pressure on health-care workers.
“These people already have an overwhelming patient load, they suffer from burnout and they should now be the top priority. Things will only get better once everyone has access to the vaccine.”
The Star