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The United States will deliver more than 2.2 million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine to South Africa as part of a donation through the African Union.
The US Embassy in Pretoria says the vaccines, which will arrive at the O.R. Tambo International Airport at the weekend will enable the government to vaccinate more than a million South Africans against COVID-19.
It says the US is committed to lead the global response to the pandemic and to accelerate global vaccine distribution as the world's largest single donor to COVAX.
In addition, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Government is supporting the South African Government’s efforts to strengthen its health systems capacity to better respond to COVID-19.
The Embassy says in a statement the CDC continues to support South Africa's vaccination efforts through epidemiological and surveillance support, and vaccination preparedness.
It says USAID recently committed an additional $6 million (approximately R87 million) to support disaster medicine planning, such as recruiting short-term health workers and increasing current hospital and oxygen capacity.
