Africa Union secures 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses -Ramaphosa

The African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team has secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for African countries, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday.

"As a result of our own efforts we have so far secured a commitment of a provisional amount of 270 million vaccines from three major suppliers: Pfizer, AstraZeneca (through Serum Institute of India) and Johnson & Johnson," Ramaphosa, who is the African Union chair, said in a statement.

Ramaphosa said all 270 million doses would be made available this year, with at least 50 million available "for the crucial period of April to June 2021".