22 Jul Pfizer-BioNTech to start producing Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa
Pfizer and BioNTech have announced that they will start to manufacture their Covid-19 vaccine in South Africa in a move that could significantly increase the availability of doses across the continent next year.
When fully operational, the companies said annual vaccine production would exceed 100 million doses, to be distributed exclusively within African countries.
In a statement, the companies said they signed a letter of intent with the Biovac Institute in Cape Town to transfer technology, install equipment, and develop manufacturing capability. The raw material for the vaccines will be transported from Europe and the first doses will be produced in 2022.
The announcement received a positive response. “It is great and welcome news that must be celebrated in the context of this pandemic as every action counts. I see this as a part of the collective action to address technology transfer and intellectual property,” John Nkengasong, the director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN.
There have been steady calls from countries including India and South Africa to waive the intellectual property rights on vaccine technology — part of ongoing negotiations at the World Trade Organization.
* Nigeria Caseload: With 238 new cases and 2 deaths reported on Wednesday, infections are on the rise in Nigeria, mostly in Lagos State.
There is now a total of 170122 confirmed cases, 164741 recoveries and 2130 deaths.
The 238 new cases were reported from 6 states- Lagos (181), Akwa Ibom (45), Oyo (8), Ogun (2), Ekiti (1), FCT (1)
* Questions are being raised over the efficacy of current vaccines against all variants of COVID-19 as a vaccinated White House official and a senior aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have tested positive for Covid-19, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday. The two, who tested positive for COVID-19 were fully vaccinated, the official confirmed.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.