Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine vials.
Photographer: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz / Bloomberg
Photographer: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz / Bloomberg
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE has offered to supply South Africa with the $ 10-a-dose Covid-19 vaccine, but the president’s office still described the cost as prohibitive, according to someone familiar with the talks.
The price has been set based on South Africa’s status as a middle-income nation and is about half of what drug makers are. accusing in the US, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information was not made public. The fact that companies are conducting a vaccination study in the country has also been taken into account, the person said.
A South African Health Department spokeswoman said the ministry could not comment on the prices as an agreement was still being reached. Representatives of Pfizer and BioNTech in Europe declined to comment on the ongoing talks, although they said they were “firmly committed to equitable and accessible access to Covid-19 vaccines for people around the world, including South Africa.”
The South African government is facing increasing pressure from its allies, opposition parties and medical professionals for its failure to secure any bilateral vaccine supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies. While at least 29 countries have already begun inoculating their populations, South Africa expects to start shooting for about 10% of its population in the second quarter. The agreement was established through the Covax initiative, which is designed to ensure that poorer countries can provide access.
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The country has had 1.1 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 and is approaching 30,000 deaths, most of any African nation.
In a statement sent to Bloomberg News on Sunday, the South African presidency said Pfizer is one of at least three companies the government is negotiating with to supply fire. Pfizer also provided 50 million doses for health workers in Africa, which could reach between March and the end of the year.
“Factors that will be considered include suitability for the South African context,” the presidency said, noting that the Pfizer vaccine requires ultra-cold storage. “The cost is also prohibitive.”
Tyrone Seale, a spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, declined to comment further.
– With the assistance of Naomi Kresge
(Updates with Pfizer comment in the third paragraph)