Imperial gets piece of vaccine action
• Biovac wins lion’s share of import and distribution contracts • J&J shots due on Monday
The government has awarded contracts for importing and distributing Covid-19 vaccines, a vital step in preparing for its mass vaccination drive, which is due to begin on May 17.
State-backed vaccine manufacturer Biovac is to play a central role, but contracts have also been awarded to JSElisted Imperial Logistics and DSV Healthcare.
According to the contract circular announcing the award, Biovac and Imperial Logistics have been appointed to provide importation services, while the job of transporting, warehousing and distributing the vaccines has been split between Biovac and DSV Healthcare.
Biovac will cover all the cold chain requirements for vaccines that require storage at 2°C to 8°C, at -20°C and -70°C. DSV Healthcare will only provide services for vaccines requiring storage at -70°C. A third company is expected to be appointed shortly to assist with the -20°C services, according to the circular.
“We are pleased to have been awarded, and equally pleased that we appear to have been more competitive than the other awarded companies,” said Biovac CEO Morena Makhoana. The health department received 24 bids for the tender.
The successful bidders have been awarded contracts based on price per delivered vial, so the value of the contracts depends on the volumes they deliver, which have yet to be clarified.
The government has ordered 31-million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) single-dose vaccine and 30-million doses of Pfizer’s double-shot regimen. J&J’s shots will be shipped in vials containing five doses, while Pfizer’s vials will contain six doses, said Makhoana.
The government aims to vaccinate more than 42-million people by the end of March 2022. Phase one targets healthcare workers, some of whom have already been vaccinated under the Sisonke implementation study. Phase two, which is due to start on May 17, will include people over the age of 60, essential workers, people living and working in crowded
settings, and adults with underlying health conditions that put them at increased risk of severe illness. Phase three includes the rest of the adult population.
Imperial Logistics executive vice-president for corporate affairs & investor relations Esha Mansingh said the company is pleased to have been awarded a portion of the importation services contract.
“Although we believe we are also well placed to transport, store and distribute the Covid-19 vaccine … we were unfortunately unsuccessful in winning this part of the tender,” she said.
Acting minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the government had resolved its disagreements with J&J and expected to receive delivery of the first 1-million doses it has ordered by Monday.
Makhoana confirmed Biovac expected to take delivery of J&J shots on Monday. The vaccines would be transported from Aspen Pharmacare’s Gqeberha facility to Biovac’s warehouse in Johannesburg and then allocated to the provinces, he said.
Last week, health minister Zweli Mkhize blamed vaccine manufacturers for delays in finalising agreements. He said J&J was holding up finalisation of the second of two agreements.
Ntshavheni said the cabinet, which met on Wednesday, had welcomed progress in the signing of the J&J contract.
When asked about this issue last week, J&J said it remained committed to making its Covid19 vaccine available on a notfor-profit basis for emergency pandemic use in SA.
“The company aims to begin delivery of 31-million doses to SA over the course of 2021, with a first supply of 2.8-million during the second quarter,” it said.
The Sisonke study aims to inoculate 500,000 health-care workers but was put on hold last week after the US Food and Drug Administration flagged concerns over the risk of extremely rare clotting disorders. The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority said the Sisonke study could resume once certain conditions had been met and it had been cleared by the research ethics committees overseeing it.
An announcement about the timing of the resumption of the Sisonke study would be made by the department of health, Ntshavheni said.