Queue in South Africa to get vaccinated, illustration -

Shiraaz Mohamed / AP / SIPA

South Africa has sold the million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines in its possession, which will be distributed to fourteen African countries, its Minister of Health announced on Sunday.

The African country officially the most affected by the pandemic had postponed to mid-February its immunization campaign against the coronavirus, initially planned with AstraZeneca, after the effectiveness of this vaccine had been questioned against the local variant of the virus.

No wasted money

Pretoria had immediately announced its intention to offer these doses to the African Union.

Zweli Mhkize is pleased, in a press release, "to be able to announce that the sale of the AstraZeneca vaccines that we had purchased has been concluded".

In recent weeks, his ministry has had to ensure that the countries identified by the AU to receive these doses have met the necessary conditions to organize a vaccination campaign, he said.

“The full amount” of the sale has been received, adds the minister.

Many South Africans feared that these doses, if not used, would be wasted money.

The logistical conditions are ready for their delivery.

The first vaccines leaving South Africa will be distributed to nine African countries, followed by five more.

Stabilization of cases

South Africa was to begin immunizing its population of 59 million in early February with these vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, received with great fanfare by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the tarmac.

A study by the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg revealing a "limited" effectiveness of the British vaccine against the new South African variant called 501Y.V2, had forced the government to suspend its campaign.

However, WHO experts have recommended the use of AstraZeneca vaccine in countries where variants are present.

The AU, which secured the acquisition of 270 million vaccines for the continent, had said it "would not rule out" AstraZeneca's vaccines.

South Africa has more than 1.5 million cases and already more than 52,000 deaths.

But new cases have slowed significantly, to around a thousand a day recently, and the president announced at the end of February that the second wave had now passed.

The country, which has ordered Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines and aims to immunize two-thirds of its population, has only 183,000 vaccinated to date.

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