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On Sunday, Bhekisisa reported that out of the 31 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine procured by South Africa, the first two batches of 1.1 million and 900,000 cannot be released until the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives the go-ahead.
In a
Daily Maverick webinar, Dr Nicholas Crisp, deputy director-general at the Department of Health and the man in charge of the government’s Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS), explained the processes and time frames involved when a vaccine is released to a country or purchaser.
Crisp said once the FDA gives permission for use, South Africa’s regulator has to first verify that it is a “bona fide vaccine”. The National Control Laboratory then checks the potency of the vaccine, whether it has been contaminated or compromised and the level of protection the vaccine offers the public.
New Delhi, June 2
India is actively considering the grant of indemnity to US firms Pfizer and Moderna for their vaccines with an eye to boost the domestic availability of foreign jabs.
Sources said
The final agreement between the government and the American drug-maker on indemnity and procurement norms are still pending, though the two parties have arrived at an in-principle consensus, sources said.