SA to receive 4.5m Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines by June

By Antony Sguazzin.(Bloomberg) – Pfizer Inc. will ship 4.5 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccines to South Africa by June helping the nation ramp up its inoculation drive..The first 325,260 doses will arrive Sunday night, Zweli Mkhize, South Africa's health minister said in a statement. The government also expects Johnson & Johnson to release stock from the Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd.'s plant in the nation by the middle of May following a verification process with regulators, according to the statement. Aspen is making the J&J vaccines under license..South Africa, which is the worst-affected country by the coronavirus pandemic on the continent, lags behind emerging market peers in vaccinations. It halted J&J vaccines after health agencies last month called for their suspension in the U.S. The J&J shot is a key element to the nation's vaccination plan and has already been used to inoculate health workers, with no reported adverse effects..The government last month awarded tenders to state-backed Biologicals Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa Ltd. and Imperial Logistics Ltd. to import an unspecified quantity of doses, the Department of Health said in a document on its website. DSV Healthcare Ltd. was contracted to store and distribute the doses countrywide..The government ordered 30 million of the two-dose vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech SE, which in addition to the J&J shots should be sufficient to inoculate more than two thirds of the nation's 60 million population to achieve herd immunity..Read more:.Beitbridge upgrades to cause six weeks of "significant delays"Angola reimposes lockdown as Covid-19 second wave spreadsIndia Covid-19 resurgence prompts SA govt to consider further measures

SA to receive 4.5m Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines by June

Related Stories

DA condemns Ramaphosa for letting SANDF chief off after Iran visit

SA’s risky balancing act: Ties with Iran, US tensions, and Trump’s influence – Dr. Iraj Abedian

Right of Reply – Webber Wentzel: We were NOT on side of ‘Protagonists’ in DD Campus affair

Mailbox: Meeting a modern Marcus Aurelius