China’s Sinovac is heading to South Africa

AS SOUTH Africa’s feel-good stories trickle in in the aftermath of the recent violent unrest, the government would be wise to appreciate what social scientists often refer to as the “compression of time and space”, or the vitality of time and speed.

South Africa experienced its worst social turmoil in the democratic era, leaving in its wake fatalities thus far said to be 215 and still rising as the Phoenix racial saga unravels.

As it never rains but pours for the Ramaphosa administration, the onslaught of Covid-19’s third wave seems to be a cruel turn of fate.

But, thankfully, every cloud has a silver lining. For us South Africans, it comes in the form of China’s undertaking to supply the country with no fewer than 10 million doses of Sinovac vaccine as soon as local approval systems permit.

The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) recently approved the two-dose jab for use in the country following a public outcry about inexplicable indifference to sourcing the Chinese and Russian Sputnik V vaccines.

More mind-boggling had been the fact that both China and Russia are, together with South Africa, members of the exclusive, influential group better known as BRICS, acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The country’s close ties to the West, particularly the US, UK and France, are well known. But the intelligentsia community, coupled with the EFF-led hollering, somehow have managed to put pressure on the authorities to make decision on the acquisition of Chinese and Russian vaccines. So far, there are still some lingering questions over the paperwork needed to procure Sputnik V, whereas there remains scepticism over the efficacy of Sinovac against the new coronavirus variants.

Sinovac’s official partners in South Africa, Numolux Group, recently said through the company’s head,

Anton Arendse, that 2.5million vaccine doses were already available for use in the country and a further 7.5million could be delivered once an order was placed. He attributed the positive attitudes from all sides to the flourishing bilateral relations between Pretoria and Beijing, as well as the BRICS dynamic.

Earlier this week, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said a total number of people already inoculated stood at 5.5million.

The total number of infections is over 2.3 million and Covid-19-related fatalities more than 67000.

Inoculations, according to experts, in crucial to prevent disease, hospitalisation and deaths. Hence the heightened public appeals globally by governments urging sceptics to get their jabs and rather be safe than sorry.

Even in vaccine-manufacturing countries such as Russia, the US and the UK, authorities are often at pains, urging their citizens to vaccinate. In South Africa, the vaccination drive is expected to rise sharply following the less than satisfactory initial stage of vaccinating the over-60s.

The numbers rose encouragingly when the age bracket of 50 upwards were allowed to vaccinate, and now the 35-year-olds and above will soon qualify to get the jabs, too.

South Africa’s key vaccines have thus far been Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. But as the EFF argued during their protest march to Sahpra offices in Pretoria, unless plausible reasons are made available, the country need sto procure vaccines from its BRICS partners, where political and economic relations are already intact and developing in a world where strategic partnerships are of vital diplomatic importance.

And, as the World Health Organization warns us, the world is not out of trouble yet despite concerted efforts at vaccine manufacturing from a multitude of quarters.

A fourth wave of Covid-19 has already been reported from a number of countries worldwide. Closer to home, Algeria and Tunisia are said to be in the grip of the fourth wave. Health experts warn that the pandemic could be around for longer than initially anticipated.

Hence, for countries such as South Africa it is better not to be penny wise and pound foolish. In short, accept China’s offer of their vaccines and expedite the authorisation of Sputnik V, while at the same migrating the manufacturing of vaccines locally.

South Africa’s Cape Town-based Biovac Institute will soon begin to manufacture Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines here in South Africa. Under the deal, the company will effective from 2022 process and distribute more than 100 million vaccine doses per annum for the AU.

Surely, this is a major breakthrough in the possible transfer of skills and technology to the stretched local market. Nothing stops Pretoria from pursuing similar arrangements with its other suppliers of vaccines, particularly its BRICS partners who are always willing to co-operate without much ado.

In that way, the country would be wisely building its capacity for selfreliance and sustainability as well as job creation. Instead of money leaving the country to follow the usual capital flight, particularly to Europe that seems to enjoy immunity from prosecution, South Africa’s finances would circulate locally, empowering the Treasury to better plan on how to support service delivery programmes with favourable fiscal outcomes.