South Africa has asked the Serum Institute of India to take back the one-million COVID-19 vaccine doses the company had sent earlier this month.
The decision comes after the government put on hold the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine doses in its vaccination programme.
AstraZeneca says its vaccine appears to offer limited protection against mild disease that the South African variant of the coronavirus causes.
This is based on data from a study by South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University in the UK.
Another 500 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were due to arrive in South Africa in the next few weeks.
The institute is not immediately available for comment.
VIDEO: President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President David Mabuza received South Africa’s first consignment of AstraZeneca vaccine on February 1:
Johnson & Johnson vaccine
The Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine trials are continuing at 36 sites in the country.
In Limpopo, the study into the efficacy and safety of the vaccine is being conducted at the Ndlovu Research Facility in Moutse.
Six-hundred-and-two participants from Limpopo and Mpumalanga have enrolled for the trial that started in November last year.
Principal investigator, Doctor Rebone Maboa says, ”We encourage them to also report the symptoms and the signs in their e-diary, these are some of the things we expect from our participants. We are excited to be participating in this trial, and study. The Ndlovu centre in Limpopo, the only centre in Limpopo, that is participating with the national Department of Health in this regard.”
Western Cape
The Western Cape’s Health Minister, NomaFrench Mbombo, says they will continue to engage with health practitioners in the province as they prepare for the arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week.
Mbombo says, “In the whole of the phase one, health care workers, the complimentary workers are also health care workers, in as much as some people might not understand what are modalities from acupuncture, Chinese medicine, natural paths, but people do make use of them. They’ll go to the complimentary medicine whether it’s for steaming or a supplement and all of those and people do make use of this.”
The Chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 vaccines Professor Barry Schoub speaks about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine:
Additional reporting by Katlego Nyoni and Mariska Botha.
