PRETORIA, South Africa (CU)_South Africa will have to purchase doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine at a price more than 2 times higher than most European countries, the country’s health minister says.
South Africa, the worst-hit country in the continent, has ordered 1.5m doses of the vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII), which according to a senior health official, would cost $5.25 (€4.32) per dose, nearly 2.5 times the amount paid by European nations.
Previously, a Belgian minister leaked it on Twitter that the European Union members purchase the vaccine at $2.16 (€1.78) each. Although AstraZeneca France has said that its shots would be capped at €2.50 (around $3) per dose, the company has not yet responded to the claims made by South Africa.
According to Anban Pillay, South Africa’s deputy director general of health, a lower price was quoted to European countries since they contributed to the vaccine’s research and development. “The explanation we were given for why other high-income countries have a lower price is that they have invested in the [research and development], hence the discount on the price,” Pillay said.
However, it is noteworthy that around 2,000 South Africans participated in clinical trials for the vaccine last year.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against “vaccine nationalism” and “price gouging”, as the agency says deals between wealthier nations and vaccine manufacturers have raised concern over price rises.
South Africa is currently battling with a second wave of infections fuelled by a new and more transmissible COVID-19 variant discovered in the country. According to the country’s Ministry of Health, South Africa has registered more than 1.38 million COVID-19 infections and 39,500 virus-induced deaths, since the beginning of the pandemic.
The government aims to vaccinate two-thirds of its population of nearly 60 million people, in order to achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021.
