The Western Cape government plans to acquire its own supplies of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Premier Alan Winde, in his capacity as head of the provincial coronavirus command council, has been engaging with suppliers and other stakeholders with regard to the issuing of vaccines.
MEC for health in the province, Nomafrench Mbombo, said the provincial government had learnt from getting TB medication, ARVs for HIV/Aids and other medicines where there had always been centralisation of the procurement process.
The move comes despite health minister Zweli Mkhize saying that the National Health Department would be the sole purchaser of Covid-19 vaccines for the country.
Western Cape health department chief, Keith Cloete, said that it was essential to maintain a strong focus on behaviour change to ensure containment for the six months while they gear up to accessing vaccines.