November 2022
The inactivated CoronaVac vaccine, manufactured by Sinovac Biotech arrived in South Africa, at OR
Tambo airport on Tuesday 8 November 2022. This batch of the vaccine arrived in the country for use
in the ongoing clinical trial. The Numolux Group, the in-country partner for Sinovac, envisions to
soon take CoronaVac to the commercial market.
In early July 2021, the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) announced that it had
authorised emergency use of CoronaVac, and in June 2022, it received full registration from SAHPRA.
Deputy Responsible Pharmacist at Numolux Curanto Pharma, Ms. Wilma Cerff, says she is satisfied
that CoronaVac has undergone the requisite SAHPRA evaluation and assessments to meet the
regulatory requirements. “CoronaVac has gone through the same rigorous evaluation process (as
other products and vaccines) from submission to emergency use approval and finally, full
registration.”
CoronaVac is an inactivated vaccine against Covid-19, which stimulates the body’s immune system
without the risk of causing disease. Inactivated viral vaccines, such as these, have been successfully
used in immunisation programmes for decades. Over the years, many childhood vaccines
administered to South Africans have been based on this inactivated vaccine tecnnology.
Since receiving this registration for this product, Numolux have received many requests for use of
CoronaVac, by South Africans who have a strong preference for an inactivated Covid vaccine, over
an mRNA based one.
Numolux COO, Anton Arendse says: “ We firmly believe that South Africans should have the choice
of the type of Covid-19 vaccine they are administered with”