P
resident Ramaphosa’s final weekly letter to the nation for the month of January was focused on COVID-19 and the roll out strategy for the vaccines. President Ramaphosa stressed that the success of the rollout will depend on the partnership between the public sector, the private sector, civil society, the religious sector and traditional leaders – “It is vital that this is a society-wide campaign, in which everyone is involved and no-one is left behind”.
The first consignment will come from the Serum Institute in India - the world’s largest vaccine producer. “The first vaccines to arrive will be provided to health care workers, who will be targeted in the first phase. The second phase will include essential workers, teachers, the elderly and those with co-morbidities. The third phase will include other adults in the population.” The arrival of the vaccine is the first glimmer of hope since the virus started spreading around
8 | Public Sector Leaders • February 2021
the globe a year ago – and signals the recovery of the health of South Africans and the South African economy. President Ramaphosa explains that the combination of the global demand for the vaccine, together with the buying power of developed countries, meant that the South African government had to “engage in extensive and protracted negotiations with manufacturers to secure enough vaccines to reach South Africa’s adult population”.
