Soon-Shiong Gives Back to Birthplace, Gives SA an R1 Bn Vaccine Centre in Cape Town

• Patrick Soon-Shiong launched a vaccine manufacturing plant in Cape Town that is worth an estimated R1 billion
• At the new vaccine plant in Cape Town, ImmunityBio will produce Covid-19 vaccines to be distributed across South Africa
• The new vaccine plant could soon be the biggest manufacturer of Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa

CAPE TOWN - Patrick Soon-Shiong, a South African-American billionaire, launched a vaccine manufacturing plant in Cape Town that is worth an estimated R1 billion.

Soon-Shiong is a qualified bioscientist and transplant surgeon who found a healthcare start-up network called NantWorks. ImmunityBio is one of the companies in NantWorks and produces Covid-19 vaccines.

At the new vaccine plant in Cape Town, ImmunityBio will produce Covid-19 vaccines to be distributed across South Africa, MyBroadband reports. By 2025 the plant aims to produce a billion vaccine doses annually.

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Plans for the new vaccine plant

The new vaccine plant could soon be the biggest manufacturer of Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa, which is currently the least vaccinated continent in the world, according to Fin24. Only 10.1% of people in Africa are fully vaccinated.

Soon-Siong said he contacted Ramaphosa to discuss how he could help to solve the problem and decided to develop the vaccine plant. Currently, ImmunityBio is working on a vaccine that they hope will become a booster shot for Covid-19.

The vaccine manufacturing site will boost the economy through job creation. Soon-Siong said that between 400 to 600 people will be employed by the plant.

South Africans react to new vaccine plant

@MzamaniWChauke said:

"Our country birthed a number of billionaires. I always say the potential of this country is immeasurable."

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@IamLungile_ believes:

"Western Cape is attracting all investors. No one wants to in ANC controlled provinces."

@TakeWeightOffMD remarked:

"Great news!"

@WinterPollan shared:

"Just know that anything he does is both self-promoting and self-serving."

ACDP and CGE oppose vaccine mandates due to adverse effects

Speaking of vaccines, Briefly News recently reported that certain groups and organisations have expressed their opposing views to the government's proposed vaccine mandate, which will only grant access to certain venues and activities to vaccinated people.

One such group is the commission for Gender Equality (CGE), which specifically don't want educational institutions to place their staff and students under vaccine mandates. Their reasoning is that in these circumstances there is a high probability that unvaccinated staff will be fired, which contravenes South African labour laws.

The Obstetrics & Gynaecology medical journal published a new study, which found that Covid-19 vaccines can temporarily lengthen a menstrual cycle. The CGE added that this could cause vaccine hesitancy in women, as they may fear the implications on their fertility.

Source: Briefly News