African Union drops plans to buy Covid-19 vaccines from SSI, pivots to J&J

The African Union has dropped plans to buy Covid-19 vaccines from the Serum Institute of India and is exploring options with Johnson & Johnson, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on Thursday.

The institute will still supply the AstraZeneca vaccine to Africa through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, said Dr John Nkengasong, but the African Union would seek additional supplies from Johnson & Johnson.