COVID-19 vaccines could arrive in March
Mbongeni Mguni | Friday February 5, 2021 15:01
Under the arrangement known as COVAX, which involves 180 countries collectively securing doses from manufacturers, Botswana is due to have 940, 800 vaccines under a two-dose regimen, meaning about 20% of the population will be covered.
An update from the COVAX facility this week states that Botswana is due to receive 117, 600 doses of the AstraZeneca/SK Bio vaccine within the first quarter of the year, with other doses to follow in the second quarter of the year. The AstraZeneca/SK Bio vaccine is manufactured in South Korea under licence from AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical giant that was amongst the first to produce a COVID-19 vaccine last year.
“This indicative distribution is intended to provide interim guidance to facility participants – offering a planning scenario to enable preparations for the final allocation of the number of doses each participant will receive in the first rounds of the vaccine distribution,” reads the update.
“It is therefore non-binding and may be subject to change.
“Nevertheless, COVAX partners believe the publication of this information, which has now been shared with all economies participating in the COVAX Facility, marks an important first step in providing governments and public health leaders with the information they need to put in place practical steps for the provision of early doses and a successful national roll-out of vaccines.”
The upcoming 117, 600 doses are expected to primarily go to frontline workers, under a pledge made by President Mokgweetsi Masisi recently.
The COVAX vaccine facility is one of three options available for the government as it scrambles to secure vaccines as quickly as possible. The other involves the African Union, which is arranging 270 million doses to be shared according to population size, on the continent. The third is a direct bilateral arrangement between Botswana and a vaccine manufacturer.
Botswana made an upfront payment for the COVAX facility, while the African Export-Import Bank will facilitate payments for the African Union deal by providing advance procurement commitment guarantees of up to $2billion to the manufacturers on behalf of member States. Government, meanwhile, is finalising talks with the World Bank for a loan to kickstart the third option. This week’s COVAX update, however, stresses that the actual arrival of doses in Botswana or any other participating country are dependent on several key factors.
The vaccine selected for Botswana, for instance, is still undergoing Emergency Use Authorisation by the World Health Organisation, although this is at an advanced stage.
“The indicative distribution takes into account the current estimation of supply volumes (and) the supply volume may vary due to manufacturing/and or operational constraints, and this will have an impact on the doses that will be allocated to countries,” the update states.
“No doses will be allocated in the final allocation if a participant is deemed not [required to], which may cause variations in the quantities allocated to the other participants.
“The exact delivery after allocation will depend on the sequence of countries in the shipment plan, the time taken to place the purchase order, legal/regulatory obligations, as well as the supplier’s lead time and related logistics.”
President Masisi recently said he had charged health authorities with pushing ahead with bilateral deals over and above the COVAX facility, as its supplies would be inadequate for the country.
“COVAX as much as we subscribe to it is only 20% of the population and 20% does not hit a number needed to treat to provide protection,” Masisi said.
“Nor do you get herd immunity out of it. So we really want this urgently.”
With local cases rising by about 300 per day and deaths increasing rapidly, the local public health system is being stretched even as most people continue to practise the recommended health protocols.
“Our real long-term solution is to vaccinate,” Masisi said.
“These other intervening measures are coping mechanisms and they are very costly as they draw out ‘blood’ for long.
“We want the quickest possible time and I have said to the Minister to make provision for it. We want to procure the most efficacious vaccine given our circumstances and the potential for success.”
The COVID-19 Task Team had not responded to emailed enquiries by Thursday press time, while questions sent to George Sibotshiwe, an official involved in the African Union’s programme, had also not been responded to. Mmegi had sought to find out from the AU whether Botswana had pre-ordered vaccines under their programme and if so, how many and when they were due to arrive in the country.