South Africa: the first vaccine doses expected by the end of the month
The Covid-19 vaccine testing center at Chris Sani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, Monday, November 30, 2020. AP - Jerome Delay
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
In South Africa, the first doses of the Covid 19 vaccine may well arrive sooner than expected.
The Minister of Health was under fire from criticism for his lack of action and communication vis-à-vis his vaccine strategy while the second wave continues to grow.
Until now, the ministry explained that it was negotiating with the laboratories to buy doses outside the Covax platform, without being able to give more details.
But this Thursday, the Minister of Health confirmed that the first doses of vaccine should arrive as early as this month.
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With our correspondent in Johannesburg,
Claire Bargelès
South Africa should initially receive one million doses of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca by the end of the month.
Then 500,000 additional doses in February.
These doses will be manufactured by the Serum Institute, in India, which has a production agreement with the pharmaceutical company.
And they will be injected in priority to the nursing staff.
The Minister of Health calls on the rest of the population to be “
patient
”, while negotiations continue, and the first doses provided by the Covax device are not expected for 6 months.
South Africa intends to vaccinate 67% of its population by the end of the year.
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See also: Covid-19: South Africa wants to vaccinate 67% of its population in 2021
It also remains to be seen whether the
new variant of the virus
, discovered in the country last month, could weaken the effects of vaccines.
Tests are currently being carried out in the country, while clinical trials involving AstraZeneca, among others, have been carried out there.
The response is expected by researchers within the next few weeks.
Local company Aspen is also in discussions with the Johnson & Johnson laboratory to produce, in part, doses on site, once the vaccine has been approved.
South Africa now has more than 1.1 million recorded cases and nearly 32,000 deaths.
► Read also: Covid-19: inventory of vaccines in Africa
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South Africa
Coronavirus
Health and medicine
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