NOT RETURNING COVISHIELD, WILL OFFER DOSES TO AFRICAN UNION: SA

CAPE TOWN: South Africa said on Tuesday it would offer its doses of the Oxford-astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine to the African Union (AU) after scrapping their use due to concerns that the dose is not adequately effective against the B.1351 variant dominant in the country.

South Africa purchased a million doses of Covishield, the version of the vaccine made by Serum Institute of India.

“The doses we purchased have been offered to the African Union to distribute to those countries who have already expressed interest in acquiring the stock,” the country’s health minister Zweli Mkhize told parliament.

The minister separately denied reports that the doses had expired and were being returned to SII.