South Africa may swap or sell AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine

People in PPE
Health workers were due to be vaccinated until the plan was scrapped

South Africa is considering swapping or selling the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against coronavirus, the health minister says.

Plans to use it to vaccinate health workers were scrapped after a study showed “disappointing” results against the new Covid variant in the country.

Instead it is intending to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

South Africa has one and half million doses of the AstraZeneca jab and is now considering what to do with them.

“There are already some countries that are asking that we must sell it to them,” South Africa’s Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told a news conference on Wednesday.

But he said that he will wait for experts’ conclusions before making a decision.

“Our scientists will continue with further deliberations on the AstraZeneca vaccine used in South Africa and depending on their advice the vaccine will be swapped before the expiry date.”

He added that he was due to speak with the World Health Organization shortly after the news conference.

What was the study and what did it find?

The trial, involving some 2,000 people, found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offered “minimal protection” against mild and moderate cases of the South Africa variant of coronavirus.

It was carried out by researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the UK’s Oxford University, but has not yet been peer reviewed.

Experts are hopeful that the vaccine will still be effective at preventing severe cases.

What do we know about the South Africa variant?

The South Africa variant carries a mutation that appears to make it more contagious or easy to spread.

However, there is no evidence that it causes more serious illness for the vast majority of people who become infected.

As with the original strain, the risk is highest for people who are elderly or have significant underlying health conditions.

Scientists say the variant accounts for 90% of new Covid cases in South Africa.

At least 20 other countries including Austria, Norway and Japan, have found cases of the variant.

Vaccine comparison
Vaccine comparison
source: yahoo.com