IRR welcomes Covid-19 vaccine progress following legal letter to Minister, but important issues remain
The IRR is pleased by the progress made with regards to the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines for South Africans in the 72 hours since the delivery by legal representatives of the Institute of an urgent letter to the Minister of Health.
Since the letter, actionable steps have been announced to bring forward the initial availability of vaccines – initially stated to be towards the end of the second quarter. Pressure on government has now laid the groundwork for the availability of 1 million vaccinations to health workers by the end of this month.
The IRR further welcomes apparent progress in negotiations between he South African government and pharmaceutical manufacturers AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.
However, two significant concerns remain for the IRR:
Firstly, it still seems to be the position of the government that private sector entities will be barred from participation in the rollout of vaccines to South Africans. Many private sector entities have already shown themselves to be willing and able to shoulder much of the burden in terms of South Africa’s health response to the Covid-19 pandemic.