The South Africa government is collaborating with several multinational pharmaceutical companies – through the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – to acquire and fund a vaccine for the African continent.
Speaking during a televised state of the nation address on Wednesday, President Ramaphosa said Africa will need around $12 billion and 750 million doses of effective COVID-19 vaccines.
He added that the world’s leading pharmaceutical company, Johnson & Johnson, has entered into an agreement wiwilthe South African Aspen Pharmacare to manufacture and package 300 million doses of the candidate vaccine at its Nelson Mandela Bay plant.
“This is in addition to the progress made by Biovac, a local biopharmaceutical company that is in partnership with the South African government,” he said.
Various African countries are going to have to allocate funding so that there can be access to vaccines, which will manufactured by South African workers “to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.”
Criticising the behaviour of many South Africans not adhering to COVID19 safety protocols since the beginning of Lockdown Level 1, he further revealed that the State of Disaster will be extended by another month to December 15 to help prevent the second wave of coronavirus.
The State of National Disaster was declared by government in March 2020 under Section 27 (1) and (2) of the Disaster Management Act.
