The South Africa Government has described COVID-19 vaccine expensive despite the ‘discount’ price of $10 per dose the pharmaceutical companies of Pfizer Inc. and  BioNTech SE offer.

The government said the cost is prohibitive considering the fact that the vaccine makers are running a vaccine trial in the country.

It is reported that “the government is coming under mounting pressure from its labour-union allies, opposition parties and medical professionals over its failure to secure any bilateral vaccine-supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies.”

About 29 countries have already begun giving their populations the vaccine, only South Africa expects to commence shots for about 10% of her population in the second quarter. That deal has been arranged through the Covax initiative, which is designed to ensure poorer countries can secure access.

It is recorded that South Africa has had 1.1 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 and about 30,000 deaths,

“Factors that will be taken into account include the suitability for the South African context, noting that the Pfizer vaccine requires ultra-cold storage. The cost is also prohibitive,” the presidency remarked.