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The Democratic Alliance said it has put together a 6-point action plan to ensure that access to a Covid-19 vaccine for all South Africans is fast-tracked.
Party leader, John Steenhuizen said they were heartened by the news that the Western Cape government was working pro-actively to expedite access to a vaccine in the province.
He called on the national government to do the same.
Steenhuisen said part of their plan was for the government to urgently begin bi-lateral negotiations with approved supplies in order to expedite the process as many other countries have done.
He said despite being part of the World Health Organisation’s Covax programme, countries like Colombia had realised the delays and shortcomings of this initiative and opted for the bilateral approach.
Among the DA’s proposals is that the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority complete the vaccine approval as “efficiently” as possible; that government determines how many vaccine doses are needed; that government provide a timeline and develop a rollout strategy and that any procurements related to the vaccine and the rollout be done transparently.
“The longer this ANC government delays access to a Covid19 vaccine, the more lives, and livelihoods our country will lose to this virus,” Steenhuisen said.
