COVID-19 VACCINE IN SOUTH AFRICA

 SOUTH AFRICA AND THE COVID-19 VACCINE

 

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by the drug called Pfizer and BioNTech is 95% effective in preventing the COVD-19.  This vaccine needs to be stored below minus 70 degree Celsius.  If not kept at this temperature, they can become spoiled and become less affective.

Large hospitals in cities of America are buying expensive ultra-cold freezer in order to store their COVID-19 vaccines.  Pfizer and BioNTech need to apply for an emergency license from the US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.

The only ultra-cold freezers that South Africa has is a few at large research institution, i.e. the National Institute for Communicable Disease

 

South Africa is unlikely to be able afford to buy enough freezers in order to store the vaccine.

The vaccines that are used in the immunisation programme have to be kept at certain temperature.

This is already a big challenge in itself.

 

Why the vaccine needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures.  This is how the vaccine is made.  The vaccine uses pieces of man-made genetic material known as messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, that instructs our bodies to make protein around our RNA which is under attack from the virus.  This helps it to be able to produce antibodies and fights of the virus that causes COVD-19.

These mRNA have to be stored in extremely low temperatures or they face the risk of becoming damaged.

 

Getting the vaccine into the country is one thing, storing it is another and making sure that people who need it get it is a major problem as it will not widely available to the people in South Africa.

Another problem, there has been no vaccine using the mRNA messenger has been licensed for human use.

And another problem, the more people vaccinated the better chance of the COVID-19 can be contained.  Not enough people will get the vaccine in order for this to happen.

And even though South Africa is only expecting to get enough COVID vaccines for around 5% of its population by next year, and a large rollout to the general public will likely only come in the next two years.

“I think getting the vaccine is a simple thing. Getting the vaccine out to the people who need it is the challenge and we don’t have a great track record in even getting routine vaccines to the communities that need them most.”

 

REFERENCE:  https://bhekisisa.org/health-news-south-africa/2020-11-13-cold-truth-south-africa-wont-be-able-to-store-pfizers-covid-vaccine-heres-why/