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Reuters reports that SA’s mining industry estimates it will cost around R300-million to help the government roll out Covid-19 vaccines to mineworkers and community members.
The Minerals Council SA (MCSA), which represents mining firms, offered its financial and logistical assistance after the government called on the private sector to help with the rollout of vaccines, the first of which are set to arrive on Monday. Dr Thuthula Balfour, head of health at the MCSA (previously called the Chamber of Mines), confirmed that the cost of the vaccine programme to the industry could be around R300-million. She said that the mining industry has the capacity to carry out around 60,000 vaccinations per day, with scope to increase that to 80,000 vaccinations per day. At that rate, the industry would vaccinate its 450,000 workforce within eight days. Mining companies also have the capacity to vaccinate around 2.25-million people in the often remote communities around mines, Balfour indicated. According to mining companies, their decades of experience combating tuberculosis and HIV-Aids make them well placed to support the Covid-19 response, and many say they can help pay for workers to be vaccinated. SA is set to receive one million doses of AstraZeneca shots from the Serum Institute of India (SII) on1 February for its healthcare workers.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly
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