Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said vaccine manufacturers had been unwilling to sell Covid-19 vaccines directly to the province.
Winde made the announcement during briefing the media during his weekly digital press conference.
He said a team was still working on procuring vaccines directly to the Western Cape.
“In our engagements with both Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, both of them at an international CEO level. (They) have come back to say that they are are not able to supply us at the present moment. They are still dedicating the supply to national level applicants. They have said in due course they will have a look at it.”
Winde maintained that regional procurement of Covid-19 vaccines remains a priority.
In January, ANC leader in the Western Cape Legislature Cameron Dugmore said it was concerning that the Premier and provincial officials would not give details about their vaccine procurement plans because it would run into billions of rands. At the time Dugmore estimated the cost for regional procurement of Covid-19 vaccines would cost nearly R2 billion.
“At the Covid-19 Ad Hoc Committee in the legislature... they further indicated that the administration costs including distribution per vaccine was R231. They estimate that this alone would cost between R1.2 billion and R1.7 billion. This cost excludes the cost of the vaccine itself,” Dugmore said in January.
But Winde maintains he is keen to get vaccines to the Western Cape and will explore all options including purchasing from other countries that have excess supply.
He said: “I was engaging today with ambassadors and consul generals...can we maybe get some of their excess vaccines, we will continue pushing.”