On Sunday, South Africa said it would suspend rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine after initial trials showed “disappointing” results against the B.1.351 variant of COVID-19.
The country has received 1 million doses of the shot. It was planned to start using it to vaccinate primary health workers from mid-February.
The study, involving about 2,000 people, found the vaccine to provide “minimal protection” against mild and moderate cases of COVID-19. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Zweli Mkhize, South Africa’s health minister, says primary care health workers will get injections from other manufacturers instead.
“We have decided to temporarily halt the rollout of the (AstraZeneca) vaccine. More needs to be done,” said South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
Scientists will investigate whether the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in preventing serious illness and death against the new variant, Mkhize said.
South Africa is still looking at vaccination
The government will instead offer vaccines produced by Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer in the coming weeks.
This newer species is more contagious and currently represents more than 90% of COVID-19 cases in the country.
South Africa plans to vaccinate at least 67% of the population, or about 40 million people, by the end of the year.
It has recorded nearly 1.5 million infections and more than 46,000 deaths from the virus.
Developers promise a modified shot by fall
Developers of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines say they will have a modified shot ready by the end of this summer.
Sarah Gilbert, principal investigator for the Oxford team, told the BBC on Sunday that “we have a version with the South African peak series in the works”.
“Looks like we’ll have a new version ready for use in the fall,” she added.
The first results of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the South African variant could have far-reaching consequences for the fight against the coronavirus on the continent.
Many African countries had planned to use the AstraZeneca recording due to its affordability and the fact that it can be kept in regular refrigerators
COVAX, an international sourcing initiative for poorer countries, has purchased the AstraZeneca vaccine in bulk from the Serum Institute of India.
jf / aw (AFP, AP)