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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union said the vaccine rollout plan announced on Sunday night by the Health Minister was “very scant on details and very ambiguous on the timelines especially on delivery dates.”
Nehawu was commenting on the Minister’s briefing where he announced that 67% of the population would be targeted in a phased roll out after the first delivery is received in the second quarter of 2021.
But, the union said Mkhize’s provide a clear logistical roll-out plan for vaccination, for example in terms of training of the clinicians to vaccinate, the geographic layout of the vaccination especially for the vulnerable cohorts, etc.
“As NEHAWU, we believe that negotiations with vaccine manufacturers should have started long ago,” said spokesperson, Khaya Xaba.
“Because of the delay by government to start negotiations with vaccine manufacturers and participation in the COVAX facility we are now bearing the brunt of the scarcity of vaccines and having to wait for availability while other countries have begun with the rollout.”
Xaba said Nehawu believes that if the government was committed to saving lives and stopping infections it would have moved with speed to procure the vaccine.
Mkhize said the only way to deal with the Covid19 pandemic was the provision of immunity through vaccination.
Phase One:
• Front line health care workers (HCW). Target population: 1,250,000
Phase Two:
• Essential workers. Target population: 2,500,000
• Persons in congregate settings. Target population: 1,100,000
• Persons >60 years. Target population: 5,000,000
• Persons >18 years with co-morbidities. Target population: 8,000,000
Phase 3
• Other persons >18 years. Target population: 22,500,000
This means that by the end of phase three, 40 350 000 citizens will have been immunized which is equivalent to approximately 67,25% of the population as we have indicated.
The announcement also came as South Africa recorded 11 859 new cases since the last report, representing a 32% positivity rate. SA currently has 167 492 active cases.
