Biovac cool for roll-out, says Mabuza

Deputy President David Mabuza has reiterated government’s stance to ramp up efforts for the country to produce its own lifesaving Covid-19 vaccines.

Mabuza conducted an oversight visit at the Biovac Institute in Midrand yesterday.

Biovac, a bio-pharmaceutical company and a partnership with government and the private sector, was set up in 2003 to establish a local vaccine manufacturing capability.

“We do currently manufacture almost 80% of the vaccines we use ... but we want to increase this capacity,” said Mabuza.

The company is the storage centre for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is currently reserved for healthcare workers, following a decision by the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) on Covid-19 vaccines.

Mabuza, who chairs the IMC, said after his visit to Biovac that government is determined to improve the country’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities.

The second batch of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine landed at OR Tambo International Airport from Belgium on Saturday.

Mabuza believes SA will not need another storage facility.

“Everything that will come in will be stored here and will go straight to vaccination sites from here,” he said, speaking from outside the institute’s cold room.

He had every confidence in Biovac to safely store the vaccine.

He said he would get vaccinated when his turn came.

Mabuza assured the public that measures had been taken to curb corruption in the roll-out of vaccines.

“The IMC [on vaccines] is taking care of all the processes to ensure there’s no corruption,” he said. –