Euro 2021 has been a magnificent tournament. The Russia vs Denmark game on Monday was electric. How the Danish demolished Vladimir Putin’s countrymen to advance to the knockout round, from zero points and bottom position in their group, was nothing short of a goosebumps moment. I hope Christian Eriksen’s heart was able to cope; his teammates must have made him proud.
Boy oh boy, those 25,000 fans who packed the Parken stadium in Copenhagen were a sight for sore eyes. Europe and the US are opening up and relaxing Covid-19 restrictions. That’s what vaccines can do for you, especially when you hoard them.
But it’s somehow disingenuous of our government to keep complaining that richer nations have hogged vaccines, as though that’s the only reason for our vaccination rollout failures. Yes, vaccine nationalism is unjust, but Africa’s most advanced economy cannot compare itself with the continent’s poorest countries. For starters, South Africa should have invested in vaccine research earlier, when the Americans and the Europeans did. We have some of the most talented scientists in the world; why didn’t we give them money to at least explore the possibility of a home-grown Covid-19 vaccine? The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has been performing clinical trials whose results show an encouraging move towards a possible HIV/Aids vaccine.
Countries that invested early in Covid-19 vaccine research did not owe us vaccines ahead of their populations. They took the money belonging to their taxpayers and invested in vaccine research. Our tax money enriched PPE looters. They owed their populations vaccines before the rest of the world. Unfair? Sure, but which country does not place the interests of its people first? That’s realpolitik. Live with it!
Having missed the boat on vaccine development, SA then fell to the back of the queue after criminally neglecting to place orders early. Efficient developing nations that acted faster than us went to the front of the line and have made impressive progress in their vaccination efforts. Mexico has administered 40 million doses, with 16,7 million of its citizens fully vaccinated.
Having missed the boat on vaccine development, South Africa then fell to the back of the queue, after criminally neglecting to place orders early.
SA with its levels of development and financial muscle had no business joining the Covax initiative which pools funds to bulk-buy vaccines for poorer nations. Look at us now. Five months after our peers started vaccinating we are languishing at 3,8 million jabs administered. According to the health department, 2,1 million more Pfizer vaccines arrived on Monday and we should be getting another 1,2 million shots from the US, a gift from the Biden administration.
Nicholas Crisp, the health department’s vaccination chief, is confident we should receive more than 30 million jabs between now and September. I’ll believe him when I see them.
But even if we overcome delivery problems, the slow rollout will still be an issue. On Sunday, only 1,179 people were vaccinated. Why a country with a snail-paced vaccination programme is not jabbing people at weekends is a mystery that only the government can explain. Why not set up roving vaccination sites at taxi ranks, shopping malls, parking lots, train stations? When will I be able to walk into my local Clicks or Dis-Chem for a jab? Medical aids even offered to cover those without medical insurance; why was this option declined?
A friend in the US tells me you can walk into a Walmart store and receive the jab. Why not partner with the private sector? Big employers would be happy to vaccinate their employees; they want them back at work. Why not get them to extend this to members of the public for free? The banks have huge infrastructure that can double up as vaccination sites. We are in a pandemic, for heaven’s sake. It’s time to think out of the box.
I read that government could open vaccinations to people over the age of 40 from July 16. That’s exciting; I’m in the age group. But I’ll only celebrate once it goes into my arm. A friend told me his parents — both over the age of 60 — are refusing to be vaccinated due to some warped religious beliefs. Not surprising; I suspect there are a lot of anti-vaxxers in that age group. Time to move on and focus on younger people who are eagerly awaiting vaccines so they can get on with their lives. I for one can’t wait for the day I’ll be able watch live football matches at Orlando Stadium once more.
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