[ad_1]
Professor Glenda Gray said a plan to accelerate the deployment of the vaccine locally would be announced over the next few days.
In this file photo taken on November 17, 2020, an illustration shows vials with attached COVID-19 vaccine stickers and syringes bearing the logo of the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson. Image: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
CAPE TOWN – Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine has been found to be 85% effective against severe or critical COVID-19 cases.
Just over 44,300 participants have been enrolled in clinical trials conducted in the United States, here in South Africa, and in Latin America.
One third of the participants are over 60 years old.
Professor Glenda Gray, joint principal investigator on the trial, said this vaccine was effective in providing protection against the second variant, which was more infectious.
“You could say that what happened in South Africa was constant across all countries and regions, even South Africa where all the cases were due to the new variant and this is based on our sampling of available data and around 95% of the cases. sampled data has variant V135 “.
Gray said a plan to accelerate deployment of the vaccine locally will be announced in the coming days.
“What we intend to do is expand the study because we are waiting for the vaccine to be approved in South Africa and during the study, rapidly in healthcare workers not only does it help healthcare workers prevent illness and hospitalization, we it helps to understand the vaccine as we launch it in South Africa. ”
On Sunday night, the government announced that use of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been suspended after data showed it provided minimal protection against mild to moderate infection caused by the dominant variant.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the government would await advice from scientists on the best way to proceed.
Download the Eyewitness News app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
