Pretoria - The ACDP and other concerned organisations will approach the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, next week to urgently halt the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 12 and 17.
The other organisations are Free the Children – Save the Nation and the Covid Care Alliance.
They have teamed up with the ACDP in an urgent application for an interim interdict against the roll-out, pending the outcome of an internal appeal before the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) to stop the vaccination programme for children.
Bongani Khanyile-Luthuli of the ACDP said, on October 19, the party sent correspondence to the Department of Health and Sahpra demanding the suspend the roll-out of vaccinating children aged 12 to 17.
As it had no response to this request, the ACDP said it had no choice but to approach the court.
The ACDP complained that, in effect, the decision of the Sahpra, in which it granted authorisation for the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, was contrary to the best interests of children.
The party further claimed that children were being used as a shield to protect adult society when, in fact, the adult society should be protecting children.
Last month, the Free the Children – Save the Nation lodged an appeal in terms of the Medicines and Related Substances Act against the decision of Sahpra to authorise the use of Pfizer vaccine for children.
Khanyile-Luthuli said, in spite of the looming appeal, the department persisted with the roll-out of a comprehensive and fast-tracked plan to vaccinate the children of South Africa.
The department was given until October 21 to furnish the ACDP with a written undertaking that it would stop the vaccination of children pending the appeal, or else the party would head to court.
As the ACDP has received no response, it will now ask for an interim interdict to prevent the department and health practitioners from administering Covid-19 vaccinations on children pending the finalisation of the appeal.
The ACDP and Free the Children – Save the Nation will, among others, argue that medical science agrees that children are effectively at no risk of serious illness or death when infected with Covid-19 and that there is no need to vaccinate children against this virus for their own protection or safety.
Vaccinating children by way of an unproven Emergency Use Authorisation vaccine and/or conducting trials on children to test the efficacy and /or effectiveness of the vaccine against Sars-Cov-2 in children can never be in the best interest of children.
It will further be argued that there is mounting evidence that children who are vaccinated with the vaccine face various health risks.
“There is no scientific, reasonable or rational reason for children to be vaccinated against the Covid virus currently.
“Until the appeal against Sahpra’s decision to roll the vaccine, which will focus on the medical evidence as to the relative benefits and risks of vaccination, has been completed and can prove otherwise, children have to be protected according to their constitutional and human rights,” the party said.
The vaccination roll-out for children aged between 12 and 17 started on October 20, where they are given a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
This followed Sahpra’s approval in this regard in September.
The urgent application is due to be heard on Tuesday.
The department still has to file its answering papers.
Pretoria News