JOHANNESBURG – South Africa, the continent's hardest virus-hit country has missed the initial payment deadline to join the Covax Covid-19 vaccine distribution scheme, local media reported yesterday.
The country, which accounts for more than a third of Africa's 2.2 million infections, is expecting to secure its first doses through the World Health Organisation initiative to facilitate poor countries’ access to coronavirus vaccines.
Despite Finance Minister Tito Mboweni's announcement last month that the treasury had US$33 million (RM134.52 million) available for vaccines, local online news platform News24 reported that South Africa had missed the first payment window to join Covax.
The government's health regulation chief Anban Pillay told the news website that payment was delayed because the department was awaiting approvals from the treasury.
Covax is a global collaboration involving over 180 countries working with vaccine manufacturers to ensure equitable distribution of the vaccines once approved.
The finance minister said the country will raise a total of five billion rand (RM1345.25 million), enough to inoculate up to 10% of the population of 58 million people. – AFP, December 3, 2020.
