03/21/2021 5:49 PM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 03/21/2021 5:49 PM
The South African Ministry of Health announced this Sunday
the sale of half a million
coronavirus
vaccines
from the AstraZeneca laboratory to fourteen countries in Africa.
The country made the decision to divest itself of the doses, after a study determined that the development of AstraZeneca and Oxford offered
very low protection against the new South African strain
.
South Africa had bought more than a million doses of this type, but
suspended its inoculation
in early February, as a result of the published study, even though at first the South African health portfolio had described the situation as "a temporary problem."
Later studies in South African universities gave the guideline that the South African strain
could be transmitted even among people already vaccinated
, so the input in the immunization plan was changed.
Now they vaccinate health personnel with the doses produced by
Johnson & Johnson
.
The remaining doses were sold to 14 African countries, although it
did not transcend which ones or at what cost
.
This was confirmed by the South African Health Minister, Zweli Mhkize, in a statement posted on networks this Sunday, in which he showed "joy to be able to announce that the sale of the AstraZeneca vaccines" that South Africa had bought, "was concluded."
Media Statement: The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, is pleased to announce that the sale of the Astra Zeneca vaccines that we had acquired has been concluded.
pic.twitter.com/cEk09Y95Fr
- Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) March 21, 2021
Mhkize added that "the full amount" of the transfer has already been collected, although he did not provide further details.
The Astrazeneca vaccines, manufactured in India, had been widely received at an event that President Cyril Ramaphosa had staged on the same airport runway.
As reported on Sunday by the South African Minister of Health, in that country there were 1,537,852 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 52,111 deaths.
At the moment,
almost 183 thousand vaccines
have been administered
in a population that exceeds
59 million inhabitants
.
With AFP
DS
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