Covid-19 vaccination could start in SA by middle 2021

The department says in a statement that government will make its first payment towards the COVAX facility by the deadline of 15 December.

“In pursuit of this target, we are at advanced stages of concluding our internal processes. In order to secure enough doses to vaccinate 10% of our population, we will be required to make a down payment of ZAR 327 118 080, of which the Solidarity Fund has generously agreed to make this initial contribution.” 

According to the department, the first payment will allow for the rapid vaccination of at least 10 % of the country’s population.

The COVAX facility is favoured because of it has been constructed to pool resources though a collaborative effort- in this case over 187 countries have committed to this initiative.

The Health Department says government is preferring to follow the route of accessing a vaccine through the COVAX facility because it has been constructed to pool resources though a collaborative effort - in this case over 187 countries have committed to this initiative.

It is expected that people with high risk of exposure to the virus, such as frontline health care workers and other medical staff, will be the first to receive the vaccine. 

“We are concluding the memorandum of understanding between the Solidarity Fund and the National Department of Health in the next few days. The full cost of purchasing the doses required is estimated at ZAR 2 156 934 840.” 

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“There will be several factors that may alter this cost, most significantly the vaccine that we will ultimately purchase through this agreement. It is also important to understand that, aside from the costs of purchasing the vaccine, we also need to ensure we have the funds and resources secured for the actual distribution, storage and administration of the vaccine countrywide.” 

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) will assess the safety, efficacy and quality of the vaccine before it will be rolled out across the country. 

“None of the vaccine manufacturers have submitted their application dossiers to SAHPRA as yet. Nevertheless SAHPRA has committed to ensuring the expeditious evaluation of these vaccines once the dossiers have been received, through various mechanisms that will shorten the timeframe it usually takes to approve a product.” 

The department adds in the statement that the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19 has been developing a strategy for the implementation of a vaccination roll out.

“This strategy will include a review of available resources, services delivery platforms, and the required investment to ensure a successful administration to the selected priority groups. Collaboration between the private and public health sectors will be key to the successful implementation of this life-saving intervention.”