Saudi Arabia will receive three million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine shots from the Serum Institute of India (SII). The doses are expected to arrive within a week.
SII recently partnered with AstraZeneca, the Gates Foundation and the Gavi vaccine alliance to cater to needs of poor countries with up to a billion doses in supply.
SII supplies doses on behalf of AstraZeneca but is also free to negotiate its own supply deals.
"We continue to support AstraZeneca wherever they need the support. We are happy to do so," chief executive Adar Poonawalla told Reuters.
"But we have not been asked to supply any more products for Europe because then that would mean supplies to Africa and India would suffer, and we certainly don't want that," he said. "Once I satisfy that I can look at other, richer nations. Six months to a year, that could change."
SII will not partner with Pfizer whose Covid-19 vaccine needs to be stored at about minus 70°C because India currently lacks such facilities, according to Mr Poonawalla.
SII produces a daily output of 2.4 million doses. Mr Poonawalla said it will raise production of the AstraZeneca vaccine by 30 per cent by the end of March.
Priced at $5.25 a dose, the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer will also supply South Africa with 1.5 million doses at the same price on behalf of AstraZeneca.
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Healthcare workers wearing masks cross the street in central Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa/The National -
Cleaners are always present around Al Fay Park on Reem Island. Victor Besa/The National -
A picture taken with a drone shows the roads almost empty during the nationwide lockdown in Jal El Dib area north Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon on 07 January began a complete 25-day closure nationwide, which was extended by the Supreme Defense Council until 08 February, to curb the spread of the coronavirus EPA -
A picture taken with a drone shows the roads almost empty during the nationwide lockdown in Dora area north Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon on 07 January began a complete 25-day closure nationwide, which was extended by the Supreme Defense Council until 08 February, to curb the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus. EPA -
Palestinians walk in the streets after the authorities eased restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the COVID-19, amid a coronavirus lockdown in Gaza City. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza City announced on 05 December 2020 full lockdown on Fridays and Saturdays until further notice to curb the spread of COVID-19. EPA -
Palestinians walk in the streets after the authorities eased restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the COVID-19, amid a coronavirus lockdown in Gaza City. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza City announced on 05 December 2020 full lockdown on Fridays and Saturdays until further notice to curb the spread of COVID-19. EPA -
Palestinians walk in the streets after the authorities eased restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the COVID-19, amid a coronavirus lockdown in Gaza City. EPA -
People ski amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the western mountain resort of Uludag in Bursa, Turkey. Reuters -
Jordanian teenager, Omar, 14, fixes a kerosene heater in a workshop where he works in Amman. Many minors have been forced prematurely into the labour market in Jordan due to the Covid-19 pandemic, experts say. Schools in Amman and throughout the country have been closed for nearly a year now, while economic fallout from the pandemic has eaten into breadwinners' ability to feed their families. AFP -
A Jordanian youth uses a hand cart to work in Amman's Wahdat district. Many minors have been forced prematurely into the labour market in Jordan due to the Covid-19 pandemic, experts say. Schools in Amman and throughout the country have been closed for nearly a year now, while economic fallout from the pandemic has eaten into breadwinners' ability to feed their families. AFP -
Armoured military vehicles patrol in Morocco's western city of Casablanca, amid restrictions and a health state of emergency imposed by the authorities in a bid to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. AFP -
Armoured military vehicles patrol in Morocco's western city of Casablanca, amid restrictions and a health state of emergency imposed by the authorities in a bid to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. AFP
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health confirmed 223 new Covid-19 cases in the kingdom on Monday.
"There are 333 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable," the ministry said. It also reported three new deaths and that 198 patients had recovered, raising the number of recoveries to 358,137.
There were 43,695 laboratory tests conducted across the kingdom in the previous 24 hours.
