South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that Johnson & Johnson would send 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the country by the end of the month, making up for the amount lost due to contamination at an U.S. ingredient supplier.
Aspen Pharmacare, J&J’s local producer, had to destroy 2 million doses of the vaccine after the contamination at a plant in Baltimore, Maryland, was discovered, the latest blow to South Africa’s struggling vaccination campaign.
“We have received an indication from Johnson & Johnson that it expects to deliver around 2 million vaccines to South Africa by the end of the month,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address.
He also announced that the country, which is in the grip of a third wave of infections, would move from an adjusted lockdown level 2 to the stricter level 3 amid a surge in infections. This will include restrictions on alcohol sales and tougher rules around gatherings.