Last night, President Ramaphosa marvelled at the progress the world has achieved and said that the “speed and scale at which new vaccines have been developed is unprecedented”.
However, as the IFP, we feel that he missed an opportunity to also acknowledge the role played by, in particular, the Serum Institute of India, in the swift and large-scale manufacture of the vaccine. This omission is especially glaring, as these initial million doses will form the first line of defense for our healthcare workers in the fight against Covid-19.
Although the Serum Institute of India serves one of the world’s largest populations, they committed to only reserving 50% of the Covishield stocks for the Indian market, with the rest being made available to much of the developing world.
It must also be remembered that South Africa and India have a longstanding relationship, which is also deserving of recognition.
–
Contact:
Hon. Narend Singh, MP
IFP Chief Whip
083 788 5954