Subscribe
AEC Quarterly
No Result
View All Result
  • Big Story
  • Opinion
  • Energy
  • Interviews
  • Africa
  • Investment
  • Big Story
  • Opinion
  • Energy
  • Interviews
  • Africa
  • Investment
No Result
View All Result
AEC Quarterly
No Result
View All Result

South Africa offers AstraZeneca jabs to AU

AFP

2 years ago
Reading Time: 3 mins read
South Africa opts for Johnson & Johnson vaccine ― Minister

vaccine

South Africa said Tuesday it would offer its doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to the African Union after scrapping their use due to efficacy concerns.

The country suspended its vaccine rollout — meant to begin with the AstraZeneca shots earlier this month — after a study found the jab failed to prevent mild and moderate illness caused by a variant found in South Africa.

“The doses we purchased have been offered to the African Union to distribute to those countries who have already expressed interest in acquiring the stock,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told parliament.

Related articles

Cholera Outbreak hits 23 states in Nigeria

Guinean President Alpha Condé deposed in military coup

“There will be no wasteful and fruitless expenditure.”

The continent’s hardest-hit country by the pandemic had acquired a million doses of Covishield, a copy of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, and was set to receive an additional 500,000.

The African Union (AU), through its African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, has secured some 270 million doses of anti-Covid vaccines for the continent and last week said it would not “walk away” from the AstraZeneca formula.

It recommended countries where the more contagious South African variant has not been detected to proceed with the rollout.

Malawi has already said it will forge ahead with its purchase of the jabs, although the delivery dates have not yet been confirmed.

South Africa has now settled for the yet-to-be-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, securing nine million doses, including 80,000 expected to be delivered by Wednesday morning.

“The consignment will be moved to a secure facility… before being distributed overnight to the various vaccine centres,” the government said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the vaccine had been approved by the national health products authority.

Inoculation will begin with healthcare workers as part of an implementation study.

– ‘Easier to administer’ –

Tulio de Oliveira, a South Africa-based professor of virology who helped identify the new variant, was optimistic the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would prove a success in the country.

“It doesn’t need the high levels of refrigeration, so a little bit easier to administer,” he told AFP.

Those vaccines will be supplemented by 20 million doses of the Pfizer formula as South Africa embarks on an ambitious aim to inoculate around 40 million people — 67 percent of the population — by the end of the year.

More doses will be secured through the World Health Organization-backed Covax facility and the AU.

The country has recently emerged from its second wave of infections, seeing the number of daily cases drop from highs of 20,000 in early January to just over 1,000 on Monday.

It has counted close to 1.5 million infections of which more than 48,000 have been fatal.

AFP

Source: aecquarterly
Tags: AstraZenecaSouth AfricaSouth Africa offers AstraZeneca jabs to AU
Share122Tweet76Share31
Previous Post

Senegal takes delivery of 200,000 China’s Sinopharm vaccine

Next Post

Nigeria economy exits recession with 0.11% GDP growth- FG

Related Posts

cholera outbreak in Nigeria
Africa

Cholera Outbreak hits 23 states in Nigeria

September 7, 2021
President Alpha Condé
Africa

Guinean President Alpha Condé deposed in military coup

September 6, 2021
First malaria vaccine rollout commences in Africa
Africa

Groundbreaking Malaria Vaccine is ready for use

September 3, 2021
Zamfara kidnapping crisis
Latest News

Zamfara shuts down schools completely after mass abduction of students

September 3, 2021
Vaccination in Uganda
Covid-19

State of COVID-19 in Uganda

August 30, 2021
South Sudan President and rival
Africa

South Sudan Leaders propose merge of Rival Armed Forces

August 30, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Post

  • 5 Young African Entrepreneurs to look out for in 2021

    5 Young African Entrepreneurs to look out for in 2021

    317 shares
    Share 127 Tweet 79
  • Meet Cira-O3, Egypt’s COVID-19 Robot Nurse

    313 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
  • Winning in the African Oil and Gas Industry

    312 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
  • Africa claims Top 3 spots for the Highest Concentration of Women Entrepreneurs in the World

    312 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
  • Assessing Africa’s Digital Response Strategy to COVID-19

    311 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78

Recommended

COVID-19: WHO expresses concern over the inequitable distribution of vaccine

COVID-19: WHO expresses concern over the inequitable distribution of vaccine

January 21, 2021
Winning in the African Oil and Gas Industry

Winning in the African Oil and Gas Industry

December 5, 2020

Sign Up For AEC Quarterly Newsletter

Get our most compelling stories delivered straight to your inbox.

AEC Quarterly

AEC Quarterly is a great read for investors looking for new opportunities with articles and reports exploring growth, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.

  • Big Story
  • Africa
  • Opinion
  • Energy
  • Finance
  • Interviews
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Get Featured in AEC Quarterly Magazine

© 2020 AEC Quarterly. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

No Result
View All Result
  • Big Story
  • Opinion
  • Energy
  • Interviews
  • Africa
  • Investment

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Go to mobile version