African Union to acquire up to 110 million doses of Moderna vaccine

The African Union is set to buy up to 110 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, in an arrangement partly brokered by the United States, which will defer some doses intended for the United States to facilitate the deal, officials told Reuters.

The AU’s doses will be delivered over the upcoming months, with 15 million set to arrive before the end of 2021, 35 million in the first quarter of 2022, and up to 60 million in the second quarter.

“This is important as it allows us to increase the number of vaccines available immediately,” AU coronavirus envoy Strive Masiyiwa said in an email. “We urge other vaccine producing countries to follow the lead of the (U.S. government) and give us similar access to buy this and other vaccines.”

This is the second agreement that the AU makes with a pharmaceutical company to acquire Covid-19 vaccines. Earlier in March, the African bloc reached a deal with Johnson & Johnson for up to 400 million doses.

With the exception of the J&J deal, the AU had not had access to vaccine purchases, Masiyiwa told a virtual news conference.

“I have sat in meetings with every single one of the suppliers,” he said.

According to the African official, the deal was unique and a breakthrough that came after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta asked U.S. President Joe Biden to “stand aside for the next quarter so that we could access vaccines and purchase ourselves.”

However, the new shipments remain below Africa’s needs to inoculate its 1.3 billion population, who have had less access to the vaccines than the rest of the world.

According to the World Health Organization, only 8.4% of Africa’s population has received at least one dose, well below the global average of 48.7%.

The Moderna doses will allow the AU to get closer to its target of vaccinating 70% of the continent.

“This is the first step in our long-term partnership with the African Union,” Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said in a statement, Reuters reported.