15 Aug 2021

 The current system of procuring COVID-19 vaccines only allows governments, hence the government is working with the private sector in the procurement of such.

When giving update on the pandemic recently, deputy coordinator of the Presidential COVID-19 Task Force, Professor Mosepele Mosepele said despite the private sector’s keen interest in the vaccine procurement and rollout the current system left the private sector behind.

He said the details of the government and private sector COVID-19 vaccine collaboration would be made public soon, adding that there had been constant engagement with the private sector and government over the vaccine.

Prof Mosepele said the arrangement would assist the private sector to access the vaccines, as only governments could buy from manufactures or from facilities established to ensure equitable distribution of the vaccines.

Furthermore, he said arrival of the vaccines was not dependent on the government due to the current dire demand of vaccines around the world.

However, he said the government continued to engage with the vaccine suppliers and manufactures for more vaccines to arrive.

Prof Mosepele said as different vaccines arrived, it was important for those eligible to get the jabs as availed by the public health officials.

He said waiting and hesitating to be vaccinated, preferring one vaccine over the other could be risky, as such person would remain unprotected from the COVID-19. ENDS