South Africa Asks Governments for Fairer Vaccine Distribution

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Thursday for a fairer distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines as his country struggles to immunize its population.

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During a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Ramaphosa remarked that "the rich countries of the world went out and acquired large doses, some even acquired up to four times what their population needs ... to the exclusion of other countries."

During a statement on Monday, the South African President announced that the country would receive the firsts shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine "from the Serum Institute in India, which is the world’s largest vaccine producer."

Likewise, the authorities explained that they are working "closely with the global COVAX facility and the African Union’s Vaccine Acquisition Task Team as part of the collective effort to secure vaccines for the world’s low- and middle-income countries."