[ad_1]
The government says the dose, valued at about $ 18m, will be released in various countries next year.
The South African government will provide 2 million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to other African countries to promote vaccine production in Africa.
The price, valued at about $ 18m, will be manufactured at the Aspen Pharmacare pharmacy in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, and will be shipped to various African countries next year, according to a release Friday.
“These contributions include South Africa’s partnership with our brothers and sisters on a continent that has agreed to address unprecedented human health and economic development,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.
“The only way we can prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to protect the economy and groups on our continent and to better vaccinate the majority of Africans with a safe and effective vaccine,” added Ramaphosa.
The 69-year-old president was diagnosed with COVID-19 on December 12 and has been isolating himself from his home in Cape Town ever since, receiving treatment from the South African military.
In a statement Friday, his office said Ramaphosa was “making good progress on his recovery at COVID-19 while continuing to receive treatment for minor symptoms”.
Ramaphosa “has a positive and relaxed spirit in recovery,” he said.
Worldwide fewer vaccines
South Africa’s donations are in addition to the more than 100 million vaccinations provided to the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust. The African Vaccination Team has also purchased 500 million Doses to be distributed to countries across Africa.
Africa is still the least vaccinated country in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Africa will not reach 70 percent of its 1.3 billion population by the second half of 2024.
Only 20 of the 54 African countries have received 10 percent of the vaccine in COVID-19. Ten African countries have less than 2 percent vaccination, according to the WHO.
South Africa is currently struggling with the recurrence of the coronavirus-induced Omicron virus.
It recorded 24,785 new cases and 36 deaths in the most recent 24-hour period. The number of seven new cases in the country has soared in the past two weeks from 8.59 cases per 100,000 people on December 2 to 39.11 per 100,000 people on December 16 .
More than 78 percent of these new cases are Omicron-type, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said on Friday.
Hospitals with the death of COVID-19 have risen slightly but not at prices similar to the rise in new cases, health experts have said.
South African scientists say their data analysis shows that the Pfizer vaccine provides less protection against Omicron disease and reduces, however, better safety in the hospital.
Although the number of cases of COVID-19 is increasing, the government has not announced a ban.
Unlike many other African countries, South Africa now has a high immunization rate, about 19 million, but the number of people receiving the vaccine has dropped dramatically. Only 12,500 shots were fired Thursday, according to government statistics, down from about 120,000 a day in November.
More than 15 million South Africans are fully vaccinated, representing 38 percent of adults, according to government statistics.
“We are very concerned about the huge shortage of vaccines, especially in the last seven or ten days,” Phaahla said at the conference, urging South Africans to get vaccinated before the holidays. “Jab before jive!” Said Phaahla.
[ad_2]
Source link
