Western Cape plan to jump Covid-19 vaccine queue ‘not likely to succeed’

It was highly unlikely the Western Cape government would secure a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of the rest of the country as manufacturers only produce what has been ordered and paid for.

This would also require the South African government to first obtain a vaccine licence, said an expert.

The Western Cape government has developed a strategy to access the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority’s (Sahpra) approved vaccine as it explored ways of getting the vaccine into the province early.

DA leader John Steenhuisen applauded the initiative, adding that waiting until the second quarter for the vaccine was not “good enough”.

“And even then, the number of initial vaccines on offer will only cover 10% of the population,” he said.

A team of technical experts will assess the safety and affordability of all available candidate vaccines with any considered vaccine having to be Sahpra approved, said Bianca Capazorio, spokeswoman for Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.

She said the province identified priority groups, which include healthcare and other essential workers and the vulnerable, such as the elderly and those with comorbidities.

“In terms of the national framework of the country, we are obliged to work through the national minister because the national department of health is the single sourcing entity for the country. We will work within these parameters. We are, however, looking at ways in which we can speed up the process involved, and we have had engagements with the minister in this regard,” she said.

While the country might only receive a Covid-19 vaccine in April, it was highly unlikely the Western Cape would succeed any sooner. Professor of vaccinology at Wits University Shabir Madhi said the country first needed to secure a vaccine licence before any province could fast-track their own supply.

“Chances of anyone getting a vaccine in the next three months is highly unlikely, even for the Western Cape.

“All the vaccines currently being manufactured have pretty much been spoken for. It’s not that there is any spare capacity on the part of companies to be able to produce more vaccines than what they have already committed to selling to other people over the next six months.

“You can get a vaccine at an individual level if you want – if it’s not licensed – but that is unlikely to work if you are planning to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of people,” he said.

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