Africa is not yet ready to manufacture a vaccine against Covid-19.
This is according to Dr. Morena Makhoana, CEO of the Biovac Institute, in a virtual session with the Portfolio Committees on Higher Education, as well as Science and Technology, talked about the challenges of producing vaccines on the continent amid the global race to to find a vaccine against the disease.
“Africa is not ready for this yet. We are not in a position to respond to vaccine-preventable diseases. That is why we are constantly seeking support from all stakeholders in government to say how we can grow this sector in a way that can stop this, not only in South Africa, but also in the rest of Africa. “
The Biovac Institute is the result of a partnership with the South African government in 2003 to establish a vaccine manufacturer in the country.
However, South Africa is currently one of several countries that will assist in the development and testing of possible vaccines. It is supervised by the World Health Organization.
More than 40 possible vaccines are being worked on, four of which are in the early testing phase.
