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By Staff Reporter 
19h ago
Pretoria – The Health Justice Initiative (HJI) threatens to go to court to gain access to plans for the planned launch of Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa, while the Prosecutor’s Office must formally complain that the deadline for payment The initial Covax program to acquire and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine was lost.
This week, the SA Products Sanitary Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) announced that it would conduct ongoing reviews of the safety and efficacy of all candidate vaccines, and that it had received its first submission from Johnson & Johnson.
The company’s vaccine is one of at least 200 in development worldwide, 11 of which are in advanced stages of testing and four are being tested in the country: Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Astrazeneca (with the University of Oxford) and Pfizer-biontech.
South Africa hopes to have a Covid-19 vaccine by the middle of next year, and the government carefully weighs the criteria for suitable local applications, including cost, administration and storage, according to Professor Salim Abdool Karim, chair of the ministerial advisory. committee on Covid-19.
HJI’s Fatima Hassan said the payments issue was a red herring and a distraction.
“In addition to the issue of paying Covax, who seem to be shifting their positions on terms and agreements, the real issue is equitable access to vaccines when available,” Hassan said.
He said that there were several issues that remained unclear.
“We have not yet heard anything from the government and the health ministry about which vaccine we are possibly inclining. Who are the manufacturers? When will we have them? How will these vaccines be distributed? Hassan asked.
He said that while the question of the payment deadline had been brewing for some time, more information was needed on the fairness of access to a vaccine.
“There seems to be a speculative game when it comes to vaccine access and deployment. We hope this becomes clearer when the Minister of Health addresses the nation later today. We need more information on the whole issue, ”Hassan said.
The executive director of the Solidarity Fund, Tandi Nzimande, announced that she would make the payment of R327 million to Coax to secure a vaccine for South Africa as soon as it gets the go-ahead from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (Gavi).
Covax, a global Covid-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), is working to lower prices for poor and middle-income countries.
Addressing the nation this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said SA was engaged to Covax, despite missing the first pay period.
The district attorney has threatened to file a complaint against Finance Minister Tito Mboweni for missing the December 15 deadline. The party has also made a legal request for the government to disclose its plans to access and distribute Covid-19 vaccines.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said: “It is inconceivable that our government could screw up the acquisition of a life-saving vaccine that is safe and available when thousands are at risk of dying from this pandemic.”
About 10% of the adult population is expected to receive a vaccine, including healthcare workers and those with compromised immune systems due to age or comorbidities.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa congratulated Abdool Karim on Thursday for receiving this year’s John Maddox International Award for championing science during the coronavirus pandemic.
As Covid-19 numbers continued to rise in South Africa, the debate intensified over the legality and impact of closing beaches for vacations. Public beaches in KwaZulu-natal, Garden Route, and the Eastern Cape were closed on December 16, following an announcement in Ramaphosa’s latest address to the nation.
Distraught tourists are canceling their plans as two cases go to court to challenge the validity of the ruling that the beaches in the Western and Eastern Cape are closed until the New Year.
One case, brought by the district attorney in the Western Cape Superior Court, could be heard Monday afternoon, and another brought by Afriforum will take place in the North Gauteng Superior Court, Pretoria.
Plettenberg Bay Tourism Acting Executive Director Patty Butterworth said the negative impact of the announcement of the Garden Route beach closure had already begun, with accommodation cancellations.
She believes that closing the beaches does not help to stop the spread of Covid-19, as there was no evidence that it was where it was spreading. In contrast, she said, banning outdoor venues would send people indoors, such as shopping malls, where there was a higher risk.
Knysna Tourism CEO Colleen Durant said: “After the president’s announcement Monday night, we saw cancellations online worth around R4m.
“She said the closures would have a damaging impact on surrounding businesses and that there is very little we can do about it,” he said.
Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde said: “The decision to close these beaches for the entire holiday season will deal a devastating blow to the region’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism to survive.”
Pretoria News
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