The Democratic Alliance (DA) wants government to embark on a COVID-19 vaccination roll-out system that will allow for walk-ins at various sites for those who qualify.
MP Haseena Ismail says this should be done in addition to the Electronic Vaccination Data System.
She says walk-ins will enable those who are not in a position to register online to get vaccinated. It will also allow those over 60 and those with comorbidities to get their jabs on time.
Ismail says the current online system is exclusionary and ineffective.
“The appointment system is simply not effective given the fact that it is exclusively online; people are struggling to register; and many who have successfully registered are yet to receive appointment dates.
A hybrid approach between the appointment system and walk-ins could potentially speed up the vaccine rollout. The fact that we have only managed to vaccinate 700 904 (1.08%) people to date, means that at this rate we will not meet our five million inoculation targets for those over 60 years of age. We cannot afford to be stuck in perpetual lockdowns at the expense of lives and livelihoods.”
Vaccines manufacturing
Meanwhile the issue of manufacturing vaccines for COVID-19 dominated at the fourth session of the Pan African Parliament in Midrand on Monday.
During the opening session, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo called on Africans to be more self-reliant, if they wanted to see development on the continent.
Those who attended the session also supported the call by South Africa and India for a Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights waiver.
Businesswoman Bridgette Motsepe said manufacturing vaccines in South Africa would make them cheaper.
“What we need to do is to start manufacturing our own products, our own vaccines and our own COVID-related products, because the importation of the ownership of the formulas that make the vaccine must stop,” said Motsepe.
Motsepe appealed to the business sector to ensure the manufacturing of more products in African.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the 74th World Health Assembly on the COVID-19 pandemic:
