COVAX - The African Mirror

Feb

2021

Zimbabwe buys 600,000 vaccines

ZIMBABWE has purchased 600,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from China's Sinopharm, in addition to 200,000 China has donated, its information minister said yesterday, adding these were due to arrive in Zimbabwe by the start of March. Monica Mutsvangwa also said Zimbabwe was negotiating with Russia over the procurement of its Sputnik vaccines and was expecting more doses from India and COVAX. A total of 800,000 Sinopharm doses will be in the country by the start of March, Mutsvangwa said in a video posted on the information ministry's Twitter feed on Wednesday, with aircraft heading to China to collect the shots no…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

eSwatini will not use AstraZeneca vaccine

COVID-19

LUNGA MASUKU eSWATINI will no longer use AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, its health minister said yesterday, after a trial showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 caused by the dominant variant in South Africa. eSwatini, a tiny kingdom formerly known as Swaziland that borders South Africa, was due to receive AstraZeneca doses from COVAX, the global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO). South Africa on Sunday put on hold the rollout of AstraZeneca's vaccine after researchers published preliminary data showing it had significantly reduced efficacy against the more contagious 501Y.V2 variant identified late last year. The…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

COVAX allocates at least 330 million COVID vaccines for poor countries

COVID-19

THE COVAX coronavirus vaccine sharing scheme has allocated at least 330 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for poorer countries in the first half of 2021, the GAVI vaccine alliance said yesterday. The allocation includes an initial 240 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, an additional 96 million doses of the same shot made by AstraZeneca, plus 1.2 million doses of Pfizer -BioNTech'S COVID-19 vaccine. Publishing an interim distribution plan, the COVAX Facility, which is co-led by GAVI, the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the U.N. Children's Fund,…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

EXCLUSIVE – COVID-19 shots to cost $3 to $10 in Africa

COVID-19

DAVID LEWIS and ALEXANDER WINNING AFRICAN countries will pay between $3 and $10 per vaccine dose to access 270 million COVID-19 shots secured this month by the African Union (AU), according to a draft briefing on the plan prepared by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and provided to Reuters. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who serves as AU chair, said last week arrangements had been made with the bank to support member states who want access to vaccines. Countries can pay back the loans in instalments over five to seven years, the document showed. Afreximbank's press office declined to answer…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

eSwatini aims to vaccinate entire population against COVID-19

COVID-19

eSWATINI aims to vaccinate all its 1.3 million people against COVID-19 and will set aside at least 200 million emalangeni ($14 million) to do so, senior officials in the southern African kingdom has said. eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is participating in the COVAX global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization and hopes to receive enough vaccines for 20% of its population via the facility free of charge. It wants to buy vaccines for the remaining 80% via COVAX but recognises it may have to source doses elsewhere. "We are still trying to explore other sources for…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa targets COVID-19 vaccines next month but deals not yet signed

NEWS

ALEXANDER WINNING SOUTH Africa aims to get COVID-19 vaccines by next month but is still in talks with pharmaceutical companies and no deals have been signed yet, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has said, amid growing criticism of the government's response. The country is battling a resurgence in coronavirus infections driven partly by a new variant called 501.V2. It has recorded more than 1 million infections, the most on the African continent, and more than 29,000 deaths. In an opinion piece published in major local news outlets on Saturday, a group of prominent health experts criticised the government for moving too…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Drugmakers should cut COVID-19 vaccine prices for Africa – Africa CDC

COVID-19

OMAR MOHAMMED PHARMACEUTICAL companies should sell COVID-19 vaccines to African countries at discounted rates and allow them to be produced locally to potentially cut costs, according to the head of the continent's disease control body. Africa is aiming to vaccinate up to 60% of its 1.3 billion people in the next two years, but may need several years of inoculations, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters. How frequently people will need vaccinations against COVID-19 remains uncertain, he said. "Because of this, local manufacturing becomes imperative so that we can meet our…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

EXCLUSIVE-South Africa confirms going for COVAX vaccine scheme for 10% of population

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING THE South African government is going with the COVAX global COVID-19 vaccine distribution scheme, with a committed purchase for 10% of its population of 58 million, a senior health official has revealed. Khadija Jamaloodien, director of affordable medicines at the health ministry, told Reuters South Africa had not yet signed the commitment agreement to participate in the COVAX facility but would do so once officials had completed the necessary administrative processes. The country's initial strategy is to protect the vulnerable, including healthcare workers and priority groups, she said. A group of experts had advised the government to commit…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Vaccine alliance secures $2 bln to fund COVID shots for poor nations

COVID-19

KATE KELLAND and STEPHANIE NEBEHAY A facility set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the GAVI vaccine group has exceeded an interim target of raising more than $2 billion to buy and distribute COVID-19 shots for poorer countries but said it still needs more. The GAVI alliance has announced that the funds for an advance market commitment (AMC) will allow the COVAX facility to buy an initial one billion vaccine doses for 92 eligible countries which would not otherwise be able to afford them. "We've seen sovereign and private donors from across the world dig deep and meet…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

South Africa should aim to cover 10% of population via COVAX, advisors say

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING SOUTH Africa should aim to cover 10% of its population via a global coronavirus vaccine scheme while also negotiating directly with manufacturers, a group of experts has advised the government. South Africa has recorded the most novel coronavirus infections of any African nation. While it has publicly expressed support for the COVAX scheme co-led by the World Health Organization, it has yet to make the formal commitment confirming its participation. The race to secure enough vaccines to protect at-risk groups is heating up following Monday's announcement by Pfizer that its vaccine candidate is more than 90% effective based…