Topic: 2025 – Vaccine Access and Distribution
Country: South Africa
Delegate Name: Nadia Clark
Country: South Africa
Delegate: Nadia Clark
School: Williamston High School
Committee: WHO
Topic: Vaccine Distribution
Due to the occurrence of Covid-19 back in 2020 becoming a global pandemic it is pertinent that everyone should have immediate access to vaccines when they become available. During the time of the pandemic nearly 60% of the country’s budget went to paying social wages for those who could not work due to the shutdown, and the country’s economy is still recovering.
Due to the devastation, South Africa is pushing to be more prepared when an international health crisis occurs and also expressing how urgent the need for vaccine manufacturing is. South Africa is however not lacking in research or vaccinal development, a number of labs had been established, and prior to the covid epidemic their research resources had been used for the development of HIV vaccines, when Covid struck the focus shifted and turned to a vaccinal development against covid-19. Supported with funding from the World Health Organization South Africa hosts the Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub as of 2021 which is responsible for testing vaccines and assisting other countries in the region with testing. With the country’s predicted growth it is important that the country is able to support larger populations’ health. The people must be protected.
South Africa had the research resources to develop vaccines, but did not have the capability to mass produce and distribute them to its citizens. A study by an organization called VacTask overviewed the potential for South Africa to manufacture its own vaccines, stating its possibility but also that a number of adjustments would need to be made. Data from the World Health Organization shows that roughly 70% of South Africa’s people are getting most of the vaccines they need and only 50-60% of the population are getting all of the vaccines they need. Adjustments need to be made so that 100% of the population is getting all of the vaccines they need. New labs are being built for the development, testing, and perfecting of vaccines to be sent out. In just November Biovac established a product development facility. South Africa continues to contribute research, and vaccines to the WHO, continues to advance South Africa’s National Department of Health, advance South Africa’s South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), and advance South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa (NICD). If South Africa can gain the resources to manufacture vaccines, a greater access to them within the country for the country’s population will be viable.
South Africa has consistently provided for the UN on multiple accounts and asks that funding as well as resources for vaccinal manufacturing be provided. South Africa would like to see numbers improved so that more people are receiving all of the necessary vaccines, so that fewer people get sick from preventable diseases, so that should anything happen in the future South Africa is ready to protect its people. South Africa would like to work with other members of the UN to further advance vaccine distribution as well as protect the people for the future. Should South Africa have the opportunity to begin mass production of the vaccines they would be distributed to not only South Africa but other countries on the African Continent, as well as those who may need it.
Sources:
https://www.thepandemicfund.org/projects/SOUTH-AFRICA-building-resilient-future-strengthening-pandemic-prevention-preparedness-and-response
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10265267/
https://immunizationdata.who.int/dashboard/regions/african-region/ZAF
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10265761/
https://pandemics.sph.brown.edu/vactask-south-african-vaccine-manufacturing-capabilities-key-findings-and-recommendations
https://www.dsti.gov.za/index.php/media-room/latest-news/4860-government-welcomes-biovac-s-new-product-development-facility
