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PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO THE VACCINATION PROBLEM Vaccinologist points the way to victory over Covid-19 WE all know what we need to do: get vaccinated. This was the message from Phumelele Makatini, chief executive and principal officer of the Building and Construction Industry Medical Aid Fund, in conversation with epidemiologist and vaccinologist Professor Charles Shey Wiysonge on the second episode of her online show Tea with Phumi. “There are a lot of myths around vaccines as a whole, but I think there is more hesitancy around Covid-19 vaccinations than vaccinations in general,” said Professor Wiysonge. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have heard more about vaccinations in the public domain than at any time before. The barriers to Covid-
19 vaccination uptake range from supply and availability to psychosocial factors. Even in one country, we might find that there is more of a certain challenge in one region than in the rest of the country. Challenges cover a wide range and may vary as time goes on. We may find that when the challenges of availability and access are solved, we are confronted by psychosocial factors.” Wiysonge says we have a long way to go, but we also need to celebrate what we have achieved. “In the beginning we had quite a problem with access, supply and availability. Now we have a steady supply and more vaccination sites have been opened. Now people from the community need to
come,” he says. He told Makatini that there is a different solution to each barrier, as there is no onesize-fits-all solution. For example, when South Africa had supply and availability problems, it was up to our government to negotiate and sign contracts with vaccine manufacturers directly, to obtain vaccines through the African Union, or to obtain them through the Covax facility. We have passed that stage, and now have enough vaccines available in the country. However, in terms of access, there are parts of the country where people may have to travel long distances to get to vaccination sites, which can for many be prohibitive. Vaccination therefore needs to be brought to the people.
