South Africa paying two-and-a-half times EU prices for AstraZeneca vaccine

Pretoria, January 26 (RHC)-- South Africa is reportedly paying nearly 2.5 times more for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine than EU countries.  The news has prompted stronger calls to halt vaccine nationalism and price gouging.  EU nations are reportedly paying less because they funded research and development of the vaccine.

In other news, the World Health Organization has struck a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for up to 40 million vaccine doses for COVAX, the international effort to distribute the vaccine to poorer nations. 

COVAX is set to start distribution next month with a plan to deliver around 1.8 billion doses to 92 countries this year, which would cover just over one-quarter of their populations.