JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
South Africa will start its immunisation campaign with Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine after data showed AstraZeneca’s shot offered minimal protection against mild-to-moderate illness from the dominant local virus variant.
The country, which has
recorded the most coronavirus infections in Africa and more than 46,000 deaths,
had planned to start offering healthcare workers the AstraZeneca jabs soon but
put that plan on hold on Sunday.
A government factsheet
published on Monday said the J&J vaccine would be offered from
mid-February. A senior health official said J&J had agreed to speed up
deliveries so the first doses would become available around the end of the
week.
“Our vaccine rollout
plan has not changed, except that we will begin with the Johnson & Johnson
instead of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” the factsheet said.
J&J said it was in
advanced discussions with South Africa about “potential additional
collaborations” to combat COVID-19. “We hope to be able to share more details
in the coming days,” it said.
Preliminary trial data
showing the AstraZeneca shot does not significantly reduce the risk of
mild-to-moderate illness caused by the more contagious 501Y.V2 variant first
identified late last year was a disappointment not just to South Africa, but to
the continent as a whole.
The 501Y.V2 variant is
believed to have spread to nine other African countries, according to a World
Health Organization (WHO) epidemiological report last week.
The AstraZeneca vaccine
is seen as one of the best suited to weak African health systems as it can be
stored at refrigerator temperatures, rather than the ultra-cold temperatures
needed for shots from Pfizer/BioNTech .
Global vaccine
distribution scheme COVAX plans to start sending millions of AstraZeneca doses
to African countries this month.
The trial by
researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg did not
assess whether the AstraZeneca vaccine protected against severe COVID-19.
Shabir Madhi, the
trial’s lead investigator, told Reuters the AstraZeneca vaccine still had a
major role to play in Africa and globally, and that it probably protected
against severe cases.
The government is
holding talks with scientists on how to proceed.
Malawi’s information
minister said the country would move ahead with the vaccine when it becomes
available, unless the 501Y.V2 variant became dominant there.
A Ugandan health
ministry spokesman said the government would seek guidance from the WHO, and a
Nigerian health official said the country would stick to plans to use the
AstraZeneca shot.
Professor Salim Abdool
Karim, an adviser to the South Africa government, said the AstraZeneca vaccine
would in future be rolled out in a “stepped manner” to assess its ability to
prevent severe illness.
AstraZeneca, which
developed the vaccine with Oxford University, says it has already started
adapting it against the 501Y.V2 variant.
South African health
ministry Deputy Director-General Anban Pillay told state broadcaster SABC that
the J&J vaccine was a good fit. Trials had shown it was highly effective in
preventing hospitalisation and death, and it can also be stored at fridge
temperatures, he said.
Regulator SAHPRA has
not yet authorised J&J’s vaccine but has been conducting a rolling review
since late last year.
A source at the Russia
Direct Investment Fund said talks were being held with South Africa over
vaccine supplies but declined to elaborate.
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