- South African Government has signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc for the supply of 20 million dual shot COVID-19 vaccine doses.
- The development is expected to boost plans of South Africa to start mass vaccinations from April.
South African Government has announced the signing of a deal with Pfizer Inc for the supply of 20 million dual shot COVID-19 vaccine doses. The development is expected to boost plans of South Africa to start mass vaccinations from April.
South Africa has emerged as the epicentre of the pandemic in Africa. Last week 31 million single-shot doses from Johnson & Johnson were approved for $10 per dose.
The first batch from Pfizer is expected to be delivered in mid-April, according to Anban Pillay, Deputy Director-general at the Department of Health.it is reported that with the Pfizer deal, the government will be able to vaccinate roughly 41 million people out of its total population of 60 million. Under the World Health Organization’s COVAX scheme South Africa is likely to get doses for 10 million people. Health experts are worried and have cautioned the government to scale up its vaccination drive urgently amidst reports that it is likely to be hit by a third wave of infections in the winter months of June and July.
