JOHANNESBURG, April 1 (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday that South Africa’s health regulator had registered its COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for deliveries to start in the second quarter.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) “has granted registration with conditions for its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older,” J&J said in a statement.

The company aims to supply South Africa with 31 million doses of its vaccine, including 2.8 million doses in the second quarter.

SAHPRA’s spokesman was not immediately available for comment when called by Reuters.

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee Editing by Alexander Winning)