PRETORIA-(MaraviPost)-South African has completed selling of one million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to other African Union (AU) member states.
South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed the news on Sunday.
The country had paused AstraZeneca vaccinations that was received from the Serum Institute of India last month because of a small trial that revealed that the jab offered minimal protection against mild to moderate illness caused by the dominant local coronavirus variant.
The country’s health Minister said the country had instead purchased vaccine doses from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer and hope to immunize two-thirds of the population.
The minister did not confirm the price of the new jabs but indicated that full purchase amount was received by the department on Monday last week.
According to Reuters, the ministry before selling the vaccine had in the past weeks worked to ensure that all member states identified by the AU vaccines acquisition teams as recipients of the vaccines were compliant and had obtained all regulatory approvals, permits and licences to roll out the vaccines in their respective countries.
Despite the raised concerns in South Africa after a study by the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, World Health Organization experts approved the AstraZeneca saying it can be used in all countries and against all variants.
The country has however not disclosed the prices nor the countries that had purchased the vaccines.
