GERMANY PLEDGES CASH TO PROCURE COVID VACCINES FOR SOUTH AFRICA

The German government wants to provide millions to support vaccine production in South Africa, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Friday during a visit to Johannesburg, Ralf Krueger and Sascha Meyer reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Berlin is prepared to provide up to 50 million euros ($61 million, Health Minister Jens Spahn said at an event at the university. Berlin is also eager to support technology transfer, as is France and the European Union, said Spahn.

Africa currently imports 99 percent of its vaccines. Germany and other European countries have opposed talk of lifting patent protections, arguing that this would only discourage private companies from investing the resources needed to come up with something like a coronavirus vaccine.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for more transparency and accountability in vaccine supplies for poorer countries, at the event.

He said it was important to know when how many doses are being delivered to which countries.

He also called for greater transparency on the prices of vaccines, saying this was the best way to avoid wasting public money. Macron called for hurdles to accessing vaccines to be removed, such as export restrictions.

Differences emerged on the question of whether to relax patent protection on vaccines against COVID-19.

Germany has argued patents are not the reason countries like South Africa are struggling to get vaccines.

Instead, the problem is supply bottlenecks that are keeping companies from receiving adequate amounts of critical materials needed to produce vaccines.

Spahn said transfers work best between willing partners. “Voluntary cooperation because you are committed is always more effective than being forced," he said. "We want to support you."

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