South Africa Turns to Russia and China to Jumpstart National Vaccine Campaign

A healthcare worker holds the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus before administaring it to another healthcare worker. Phill Magakoe / AFP

The South African government confirmed that it will place large orders for COVID-19 vaccines from both Russia and China in an effort to finally gets its faltering vaccination campaign underway.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told lawmakers in Cape Town on Wednesday that the government will purchase 10 million doses each of Russia’s Sputnik V and China’s Sinopharm vaccines in anticipation that pharmaceutical regulatory authorities will approve those jabs for use.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China’s relations across the Global South.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans
4
Uncertainty Roils Minerals Markets
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths

You Might Like

Why China’s Vaccine Outreach in Africa May Not Produce the Soft Power Dividends Many Assume

There’s growing anxiety in many Western capitals that China’s head start in distributing vaccines to African countries will provide Beijing with a powerful diplomatic advantage. While there’s no doubt that China’s vaccine donations ...

Half a Million Sinopharm Jabs Now Going From China to Equatorial Guinea

Media in Equatorial Guinea have been closely following the shipment of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from the airport in Beijing to the capital in Malabo where it’s expected ...

Fearing Africa Will be Left Behind, AU Opens Talks With Russia and China to Secure C19 Vaccine Supplies

The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, said last week that his organization, together with the African Union, have started talks with both Chinese and ...

South Africa Received Its First Vaccine Shipment This Week But Critics Are Blasting the President For Not Buying Chinese and Russian Jabs

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa personally went to Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport late Monday night to witness the off-loading of 1 million COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccines that arrived from the Serum Institute of India ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP