[ad_1]
Negotiations with coronavirus vaccine makers are at an advanced stage, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who announced a vaccine launch strategy on Sunday amid criticism that the state had not acted. The details, however, were still scarce.
The state expects to conclude negotiations with coronavirus vaccine providers and begin vaccinating frontline healthcare workers in February, according to an implementation strategy announced by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Sunday night. .
South Africa had hoped to start receiving vaccine supplies to cover 10% of the population through the Covax initiative early in the second quarter of 2021, but Mkhize said government departments were working urgently to secure the vaccines through bilateral agreements with The manufacturers.
“In fact, we are targeting February. Although all this will depend a lot on the success of the current bilateral negotiations that we are having with various companies, ”said the minister at a virtual press conference.
He said the deadline was “really our wish” and that no agreements had been reached to deliver vaccines in February, but the government was “struggling” to secure supplies before the second quarter of the year.
Under the strategy, a vaccine will be administered in three phases, starting with the estimated 1.25 million first-line health workers in the country. An estimated 16 million people will be vaccinated in the second phase, including people working in essential services and collective settings, the elderly and people with comorbidities.
The third phase will target another 22 million people to bring the total number of people vaccinated to 40.3 million, or 67% of the country’s population, the level at which herd immunity is believed to be achievable.
Health department director general Dr Anban Pillay said he was “pretty sure” that South Africa would receive vaccines in the first quarter of 2021.
He stated that while negotiations with the companies were ongoing, Covax, the global initiative aimed at providing equitable access to vaccines, was working to supply South Africa earlier than expected, but had not made any firm commitments.
Health officials spoke amid mounting criticism of the state’s failure to secure a vaccine deal, beyond the Covax initiative, as dozens of countries have already started implementing vaccination programs.
Leading healthcare professionals, including SA Medical Research Council President Professor Glenda Gray and Progressive Health Forum Coordinator Dr. Aslam Dasoo recently said The “lack of foresight by the state will bring us the consequences of the greatest anthropic failure to protect the population since the AIDS pandemic.”
Vaccines for South Africa. Now
They claimed that state health officials had embarked on a “frenzied cover-up and avoidance of guilt” by recently downplaying the importance of getting a vaccine.
Professor Barry Schoub, Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19 Vaccines, Sunday warned that vaccines “would not be a magic bullet” in the fight against coronavirus and false expectations could lead the public to abandon critical non-pharmaceutical interventions.
The Covid-19 vaccine and the danger of creating false expectations
South Africa recorded 11,859 new coronavirus cases on Sunday.
Mkhize denied that the state had failed in its efforts to secure vaccine supplies and suggested that critics were misinformed about the country’s efforts and its ability to reach bilateral deals with the companies.
Critics say the state could have made a non-binding commitment to buy vaccines. Gray and his colleagues criticized officials who claimed they couldn’t afford to commit to a vaccine that might not work.
“An Advanced Market Commitment does not require an upfront payment for the vaccine and commits the buyer to purchase the vaccine only when it is available, at an agreed price and quantity,” the health experts wrote.
Mkhize rejected the claim that the state could commit to a non-binding agreement, saying that Covax, which is seeking to obtain multiple vaccines, had been the safest bet.
Pillay said the vaccine manufacturers had required “a clear financial commitment”, including a deposit and payment of the balance before delivery.
On Sunday, the Democratic Alliance questioned why South Africa had not been able to reach any bilateral agreement while a country like Colombia, with similar socioeconomic problems, had secured multiple offers.
Mkhize said intense negotiations with the companies are now underway.
“We are at a very delicate stage with our discussions. We have signed a confidentiality agreement with several manufacturers. We have also received the terms of the agreement from several of these particular manufacturers and we are awaiting specific offers to be discussed between us and those companies. “
Officials said they could not elaborate on the negotiations due to nondisclosure agreements, but said they expected Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson to submit applications to the South African Healthcare Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) for approval to end of January.
They said Moderna, which was the second vaccine to receive emergency approval in the US after Pfizer, was not expected to seek approval from Sahpra.
The AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are considered more feasible options for widespread use in South Africa, as the Pfizer vaccine must be stored at -70 ° Celsius. Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines require standard refrigeration temperatures.
The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines have received approval from multiple health authorities around the world, but the Johnson & Johnson option could be beneficial as it will likely require only one dose instead of two.
Pillay said a supplier would be chosen based on vaccine availability, efficacy, and storage and distribution requirements and costs.
While negotiations continue, it is unclear how much the vaccination program will cost, but Mkhize said the state is consulting with medical schemes and will aim to raise contributions from private companies to supplement government funding.
“The question of exactly when we get these vaccines is an issue that we are fighting every day and at some point we will be able to look back and say that we have succeeded,” Mkhize said. DM
