South Africa scraps AstraZeneca vaccine, will give J&J jabs
South Africa will give the unapproved Johnson & Johnson vaccine to its frontline healthcare workers beginning next week as a study to see what protection it provides from COVID-19, particularly against the variant dominant in South Africa, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Wednesday. The one-shot J&J vaccine is still being tested internationally and has not been approved in any country.
'AstraZeneca vaccine cannot prevent mild to moderate disease of variant'
Mkhize said, "South Africa has scrapped plans to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine because it does not prevent mild to moderate disease of the variant that has spread widely in South Africa." But Mkhize, in a nationally broadcast address, declared that the vaccine is safe, relying on tests of 44,000 people done in South Africa, the United States, and Latin America.
1.25 million healthcare workers will be inoculated in Phase I
"The J&J vaccines will be used to launch the first phase of South Africa's vaccination drive in which the country's 1.25 million health care workers will be inoculated," Mkhize said, adding the medical workers will be monitored to see what protection they get from inoculation.
J&J vaccine has been proven effective against the 501Y.V2 variant
"The J&J vaccine has been proven effective against the 501Y.V2 variant (dominant in South Africa) and the necessary approval processes for use in South Africa are underway," Mkhize said. "The roll-out of vaccination will proceed in the form of an implementation study with the partnership of the Medical Research Council and the National Department of Health vaccination sites across the country," he said.
South Africa targets vaccinating 40 million by end of 2021
"This will provide information about COVID-19 in the post-vaccination community ensuring early identification of infections should they occur amongst vaccinated health workers," Mkhize said. "These shots will be followed by a campaign to vaccinate 40 million people in South Africa by 2021 end. South Africa will be using the Pfizer vaccine and others, including the Russian Sputnik V and Chinese Sinopharm vaccine," he said.
