Move occurs after trial data show that the jab offered limited protection against mild to moderate disease caused by the 501Y.V2 coronavirus variant.
South Africa has suspended the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in its vaccination program until a committee of scientists advises on the best course of action.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s announcement came on Sunday after trial data showed that the vaccine developed by drug maker AstraZeneca and Oxford University offered only limited protection against mild to moderate disease. caused by the 501Y.V2 coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa.
The government intended to soon launch the Oxford / AstraZeneca shot at health workers, after receiving a million doses produced by the Serum Institute of India on Monday.
Instead, it will offer vaccines developed by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Pfizer in the coming weeks, while experts consider how the AstraZeneca feature can be deployed.
“When new information is revealed and viruses change and mutate, decisions must be made. Possibly because of this, the launch of the AstraZeneca vaccine is on hold for now. In the coming weeks, South Africa will have the J&J and Pfizer vaccine, ”said Mkhize, the Independent Online website.
The University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, which conducted the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine trial, said in a statement on Sunday that the vaccine “provides minimal protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection” of the variant, which is dominant in South Africa. .
But in a full paper to be released Monday, AstraZeneca said none of the nearly 2,000 participants near the age of 31 showed severe symptoms. This could mean that it will still have an effect on the serious illness, although there is not yet enough data to make a definitive judgment.
The data, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, “seem to confirm the theoretical observation that virus mutations observed in South Africa will allow for continuous transmission of the virus in vaccinated populations,” he said.
“Protection against moderate-serious illness, hospitalization, or death could not be assessed in this study because the target population had a low risk.”
An AstraZeneca spokesman also said the company has begun adapting its vaccine against the variant and “will move quickly through clinical development so that it is ready for autumn delivery if necessary.”