Cape Town - The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, will this weekend visit the mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub and other facilities in Cape Town that have played critical roles in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, and Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Buti Manamela, will host Tedros as well as Belgium’s Minister of Development Cooperation, Meryame Kitir.
On Friday and Saturday the group will visit Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines, the Biomedical Research Institute based at Stellenbosch University's Tygerberg Medical Campus, and Biovac.
Managing director at Afrigen, Professor Petro Terblanche, told IOL News that the WHO is a key partner for the hub and the visit will confirm the progress the hub is making to produce vaccines.
“With Afrigen and Biovac combined, we have full end to end vaccine design, development and manufacturing capacity. In addition, with the university partners, we have the ability to train and build essential skills,” she said.
In June 2021, the WHO announced that South Africa would host the continent's first Covid-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub.
South Africa was chosen as the host of the hub following a recommendation by the WHO's Product Development for Vaccines Advisory Committee.
The organisation said: “The objective of the technology transfer hub is to build capacity in low- and middle-income countries to produce mRNA vaccines through a centre of excellence and training.”
On Friday at 4pm a press conference is set to be held at the Biomedical Research Institute based at Stellenbosch University's Tygerberg Medical Campus.
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