Photo: Stock/Canva
Aspen release first supply of J&J vaccine for distribution from its plant in Gqeberha
Aspen Pharmaceuticals’ confirmed that the first batch of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines were being released from its flagship manufacturing site in Gqeberha.
Photo: Stock/Canva
Aspen Pharmaceuticals’ confirmed that the first batch of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines were being released from its flagship manufacturing site in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
THE VACCINES WILL BE FURTHER DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT SA
“These vaccines will be further distributed throughout South Africa in line with the various distribution arrangements between Johnson & Johnson, the National Department of Health, and other stakeholders.
“In addition, vaccines from these batches will be made available through the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team/African Union platform,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Acting Minister of Health, Mmamoloko Kubayi, welcomed the announcement by Aspen Pharmaceuticals’ on Tuesday.
“This development is a significant step for the country as we ramp up the rollout of the vaccination programme to match an increasing appetite for vaccines, especially amongst the youth adults (18-35 years) and middle-aged adults (36-55 years) who constitute a higher percentage of our population.”
She said the Aspen’s Gqeberha site is the only manufacturing site on the African continent and in the southern hemisphere selected by a global multinational pharmaceutical company to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines.
These vaccines will be distributed throughout South Africa in line with the various distribution arrangements between the Department of Health, Johnson & Johnson, and other stakeholders.
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“We thus call upon all eligible people, young and old to register to vaccinate in order to protect themselves, their loved ones and break the transmission of the pandemic in the communities.”
South Africa recorded 7 773 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has said on Tuesday evening.
This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2,383 490.
This increase of 5 683 new COVID-19 cases represents a 21.2 % positivity rate.
A further 370 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 70 388 to date.
“The cumulative number of recoveries is 2,180 494”
An increase of 650 hospital admissions has been reported in the past 24 hours.
