India rivals China in Covid-19 vaccine diplomacy with million doses for South Africa

Name: Covid-19: coronavirus variants seen in Britain, South Africa spread worldwide
Uploaded: 2021-02-03T04:02:39.000Z
Duration: 4 min 14 s
Description: Covid-19: coronavirus variants seen in Britain, South Africa spread worldwide

Chinese supply of inactivated vaccines to India’s rival Pakistan announced on same day jabs arrive in the African country

Another 500,000 doses of Indian-made Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine expected to arrive later this month

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Covishield is the name given to the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine manufactured under licence in India. Photo: Reuters

Jevans Nyabiage

Published: 12:02pm, 3 Feb 2021Updated: 11:07pm, 3 Feb 2021

South Africa has received 1 million doses of the Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India as the Asian country moved to use its vaccine diplomacy to shore up its global image – putting it in direct competition with China.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the arrival of the vaccines “contains the promise that we can turn the tide on this disease that has caused so much devastation and hardship in our country and across the world”.

Covishield is the local name for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine developed in Britain and manufactured under licence by biotechnology company Serum Institute of India.

Ramaphosa said in a televised address on Monday evening that South Africa was one of the countries where clinical trials were held to assess the drug’s efficacy. He said the first phase of the vaccination will prioritise health care workers in the public and private sectors before it is given to the rest of the population.

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Covid-19: coronavirus variants seen in Britain, South Africa spread worldwide

Ramaphosa announced that the country expects another 500,000 doses from the Serum Institute of India to arrive later this month.