iAfrica

Be Smart About South Africa

Private And Public Sectors Must Collaborate On Inoculation Drive

A healthcare worker holding a rose receives an Astra-Zeneca vaccine during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign at a medical centre in Mumbai, India, January 16, 2021.

After months of uncertainty and confidential negotiations between government and pharmaceutical companies, the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in South Africa on Monday afternoon.

The one million doses of the Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine left India on Sunday morning from the Serum Institute of India.

It’s expected to land on our shores on Monday afternoon.

The official coordinating the vaccine supply chain said the only way South Africa’s inoculation drive will be successful is if both the private and public sectors come to the table.

“It is a mammoth task and as has already been mentioned, it’s gonna require close cooperation both public and private sectors, government departments to get this right,” said Rob Botha.

“I think we do need to know, and maybe the public isn’t always aware of this, is that the National Department of Health — the public sector in health — through the childhood vaccination programme manages 25-million doses per annum at the moment.

“So that’s a significant number. Clearly, this is a much larger portion,” Botha said

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