A canceled meeting, delays and secrecy: Inside SA’s efforts to acquire doses of the Covid-19 vaccine

A nurse receives the Modern Covid-19 vaccine at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital on December 21, 2020 in Valley Stream, New York.

Health officials canceled at least one meeting with the global pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J) that had communicated in early August to start talks about its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, which will be manufactured locally and tested in the country. .

Instead, the meeting was delayed for weeks and only took place in September. Months later, when other countries rolled out vaccination programs, having secured doses in early 2020, South Africa has yet to close any deals with manufacturers as criticism mounts for the apparent delay and lack of transparency.

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