Question NW1337 to the Minister of Health
05 May 2022 - NW1337
Chirwa, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Health
Whether, noting the low intake of vaccines, any additional procurement is taking place currently; if not, why not; if so, what will (a) be his department’s intervention strategy for an uptake in vaccines be and (b) happen to the vaccines procured, if persons are no longer getting boosters as it is expected?
Reply:
As of April 2022, 23 million doses of vaccine were available in South Africa. Given the continuing low uptake of vaccination, there is a high risk that a significant number of doses will not be utilised before their expiry date. In light of this situation, no vaccines are currently being procured.
- The Department of Health continues to work with a range of partners to increase uptake of vaccination. These interventions include:
- Continuing to provide consistent messaging around the importance of vaccination through a multiple media channels.
- Ensuring effective liaison and collaboration for COVID -19 vaccination with community leaders and key stakeholders at ward-level
- Strengthening platforms for participatory community dialogues, events, and activations
- Improving community engagement and mobilisation for COVID-19 vaccination through the use of trained vaccinated Social Mobilisers
- Providing technical assistance for localised communications that support COVID-19 vaccination mobilisation activities
- Improving site marketing and build sustainable vaccine trust by advertising vaccination sites and using Social Mobilisers
- Strengthening social mobilisation results-based management using Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) and Geolocation Information System (GIS) generated data
- Strengthening demand acceleration amongst vulnerable and hard to reach populations such as youth, undocumented persons and People Living with HIV thorugh community engagement strategies
(b) The National Department of Health is exploring opportunities for donating excess vaccines to other countries. If this is not possible, then excess vaccines that have reached their expiry date will be discarded.
END.