VACCINE NEWS ROLLOUT
Vaccination reviewed In the last article written, “Vaccination in 2021”, reference was made to the envisaged roll out of a vaccination program with the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize indicating that, to achieve herd or population immunity, it would be necessary to immunise some 31,000 people per day to reach the target of vaccinating 67% of the population within deadline. By Peter Bagshawe
I
n round figures, achieving herd immunity would mean immunising some 40 million people. In early January 2021 figures presented to Parliament were that it was planned to draw vaccine stocks from multiple manufacturers being Moderna (5%), Pfizer (5%), 70% from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (20%). The various vaccines hold costing differentials, varying storage requirements and dosing. Logistically, the most challenging of the vaccines are the Moderna and Pfizer products that require storage at substantial below zero, which needs sophisticated storage and transport facilities. In the interim, the Ministry of Health proceeded with putting in place a vaccination registration system for
38
healthcare workers which has been extended to include traditional healers, kitchen, cleaning and housekeeping staff in hospitals as well as medical students having been identified as included in the Phase 1 roll out. This has increased the number of Phase 1 staff above the initially indicated 1,250,000 front line workers. The Department of Health considers their registration portal the beginning of a complete vaccination information system, from registration to certification and, as it levers off existing digital infrastructure, it should be robust and stable. The first 1,000,000 units of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in South Africa from the Serum Institute of India on 1 February 2021, with a further 500,000 units expected to land in South Africa within the month. In the interim it has
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021
become apparent that the serum stock delivered has an April expiry date and the South African Government has initiated talks with the Serum Institute of India to investigate the possibility of exchanging at least a large proportion of the serum. This has obviously given political capital to opposition parties and trade unions, one of which is calling for investigation into the sourcing of vaccine from Russia and Cuba. Mathematically, and using an assumption of a 60 day cycle being available from the use of the initial Serum Institute delivery, South Africa would need to administer in excess of 166,000 vaccinations per day. The initial projected number of doses per day given by the Minister of Health was 31,000. This represents 19% of the approximated total needed to be given before the expiry date of the serum.
securityfocusafrica.com
