South Africa has suspended vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Initial test results would show that the vaccine offers limited protection against mild and moderate symptoms of the South African corona variant. The Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize has announced this.
The news is quite a setback for the African country, which received another million doses of the vaccine last week. South Africa planned to start vaccinating healthcare workers in mid-February.
From the small-scale study, none of that peer review it could not be determined whether the vaccine will protect against more severe symptoms. That’s because the 2000 participants were mainly young and healthy adults.
Resume injecting
If subsequent studies show that the AstraZeneca vaccine works in more severe cases, South African health authorities are considering resuming the vaccinations. Meanwhile, other vaccines will be rolled out in South Africa, Mkhize promised.
Developers of the AstraZeneca vaccine expect to have adjusted the injection by autumn in such a way that it offers sufficient protection against symptoms of this variant.
The South African mutation is the most common in South Africa and has already appeared in 32 countries. More than 46,000 South Africans have died from the effects of the corona virus.
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