The African Union Champion on COVID-19, President Cyril Ramaphosa, has welcomed the announcement that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Cape Town by the Biovac Institute.<\/p>\n
In a statement on Wednesday, the President welcomed the announcement of a collaboration between South Africa\u2019s Biovac Institute and the global pharmaceutical producer Pfizer as a ‘breakthrough in the protection of African nations against COVID-19″.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s agreement will contribute significantly to health security and sustainability on our continent, which currently has the least access to vaccination in the world,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
Biovac is a vaccine producer and public-private partnership between the South African government and the private pharmaceutical sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of today\u2019s announcement, Biovac has been appointed to manufacture the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for distribution within Africa, making it the first company on the continent to produce a mRNA-based vaccine.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiovac will immediately embark on technological transfer activities that include on-site development and equipment installation for the production of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccines,\u201d the Presidency said.<\/p>\n
Biovac expects the facility will be brought into the Pfizer-BioNtech supply chain by the end of 2021. Biovac will obtain drug substance from BioNTech\u2019s facilities in Germany.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt full operational capacity, the annual COVID vaccine production will aim for 100 million finished doses annually. All doses will exclusively be distributed within the 55 African Union member states.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiovac\u2019s expansion in production and acquisition of specialised equipment related to mRNA technology entails an investment of shared cost of R200 million in the coming six months,\u201d the Presidency said.<\/p>\n
President Ramaphosa said the partnership between Biovac and Pfizer is a breakthrough in the efforts to overcome global vaccine inequity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe protection of Africans is a necessary and critical contribution to the protection of humanity as a whole. This partnership demonstrates what we can achieve when the state sector and the private sector craft a shared vision and pool resources for the greater good of society.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis collaboration recognises the talent and technology that exists on our continent that can be harnessed in our irreversible march of sustainable and inclusive development,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n
He urged people throughout the continent to play their part by making themselves available to be vaccinated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more we roll up our sleeves to receive our jabs, the safer we will be as individuals, families and communities. The safer we are, the more secure our future as a continent on the rise will be,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n
African Union Special Envoy on COVID-19 and member of the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, Strive Masiyiwa, joined the President in welcoming the Biovac-Pfizer initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only way to guarantee Africa\u2019s access to vaccines now and in the future is through this type of strategic manufacturing partnerships, which we welcome greatly,\u201d Masiyiwa said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: South African Government News Agency<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The African Union Champion on COVID-19, President Cyril Ramaphosa, has welcomed the announcement that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Cape Town by the Biovac Institute.In a statement on Wednesday, the President welcomed the announcement…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n