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South Africa postpones the start of the nationwide vaccination campaign after a study on the effectiveness of AstraZeneca’s corona vaccine. First, the questions that have arisen from the investigation need to be clarified, said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. The vaccine appears to work “against the parent strain,” but not fully “against the variant,” according to Mkhize.
The study from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg states that after infection with the South African crown mutant, the vaccine offers only “minimal protection” against mild and moderate disease processes.
However, the vaccine may be effective against severe courses, the AFP news agency cites researcher Sarah Gilbert of the University of Oxford, who was involved in the development of the vaccine. None of the 2,000 study participants developed severe symptoms of Covid-19. However, insufficient data are available to make a final assessment of protection against serious diseases.
The full version of the study will be published on Monday.
The vaccination campaign in the country most affected by the pandemic in Africa should begin in the next few days. South Africa received an initial shipment of one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday. 500,000 more are expected this month.
Esperanza at Johnson & Johnson and Biontech
Mkhize announced that the vaccine will be kept under lock and key until scientists have a clear evaluation. At the same time, he referred to upcoming vaccine deliveries from pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson and Mainz manufacturer Biontech and its partner Pfizer, which can be expected in the next four weeks. South Africa is also negotiating with other manufacturers.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is approved in the UK and the EU, among others. Due to lack of data, several countries, including Germany, have only recommended the vaccine for vaccination of people under 65 years of age.
