J&J makes demands before releasing SA vaccines
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has demanded a letter from the Department of Trade and Industry acknowledging its local investment in local manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare before it will sign off the delivery of 20-million doses of the vaccine to South Africa. This is one of difficult and sometimes unreasonable terms the government has had to navigate in procuring vaccines, health minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize told the Parliamentary Health Portfolio Committee.
Image: Johnson & Johnson“We’ve been taken aback by this, as there are clauses in the agreement that express this support and acknowledge that this production will not just be limited to South Africa and the continent, but also targeted for the global market,” he said.
5 February 2021, 6:56 PM | Zalene Merrington | @SABCNews
Image: ReutersClinical trial data revealed that the vaccine had a 22% efficacy against the new coronavirus variant.
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has assured Parliament’s Health Portfolio Committee that his department has procured enough COVID-19 vaccines for at least 26 million people so far.
He updated Parliament’s Health Committee on the country’s vaccination roll out strategy.
This week, the country received its first one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute in India.
President Cyril Ramaphosa receives first consignment of COVID-19 vaccine:
The goal is to have 40 million people vaccinated by the end of 2021.