What about the flu vaccine?

Writer: Lia Labuschagne.

Every winter, influenza strikes. The influenza vaccinations differ from year to year to target the specific virus. This year, with COVID-19 dominating the headlines, the demand for influenza vaccination injections rose dramatically. This has been one of the reasons for shortages in the country.

Despite the fact that large pharmacy chains had ordered large numbers of doses, they did not receive enough.

By the time the lockdown was implemented, most local pharmacies had also run out – and so had the rooms of general practitioners. The result is that people who normally get vaccinated annually have suddenly found they cannot be inoculated.

The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, commented already late in March that “South Africa has received a very limited stock of flu vaccines, which are pre-ordered a year in advance. At the time the country (both public and private sectors) placed its orders, we had not anticipated this COVID-19 pandemic. This means that as it stands, our flu vaccines are understocked.”

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