The makers of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine say they have found a South African partner to manufacture their jab locally.

Under the agreement, Biovac, which is based in Cape Town, will be supplied with the ingredients from facilities in Europe.

It will complete the last step in the manufacturing process, known as “fill and finish”.

Aspen Pharmacare – also in South Africa – has struck a similar arrangement with Johnson & Johnson to produce its single-shot vaccine.

Biovac is scheduled to start supplying vaccines to the market by the end of the year. It aims to produce 100 million doses annually.

This agreement is good news but on its own won’t solve the continent’s supply crisis.

Only 2% of people in Africa have been vaccinated and infections are soaring.