The first African-owned Covid vaccine will be available in three years.

Developers stated on Tuesday that Africa would get its first African-owned COVID-19 vaccination within the next three years.

They claim that the mRNA vaccine will be held at refrigerator temperatures, making it simpler to store and deliver in distant and isolated areas where few people are now immunized.

“The Covid-19 vaccine will take up to 36 months to develop since it will need to go through comprehensive clinical trials, and we will present it as a booster,” said Prof Petro Terblanche of Afrigen, which is working on the vaccine alongside the Univercells Group.

This new vaccination will be developed and manufactured in Cape Town, South Africa.

The news comes only days after the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed to waive a key intellectual property agreement, allowing poor nations to produce and sell proprietary Covid vaccines without the patent holder’s authorization for five years.

A shortage of super-cold chains and a lack of local cost-effective manufacture remain two fundamental obstacles to the widespread use of coronavirus vaccinations.

However, there seems to be a demand problem.

Aspen Pharmacare, a South African corporation, has secured an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to manufacture its vaccine in South Africa. However, due to a lack of orders, its facility may be forced to shut.

According to Africa CDC, 18% of the population has been completely vaccinated against Covid.