South Africa withholds AstraZeneca vaccine with limited effect on mutation

Input 2021.02.08 06:40

Reuters reported on the 7th (local time) that South Africa has decided to withhold the use of the Astrezeneca vaccine, which has been evaluated as having limited effectiveness against the mutant virus from South Africa.

South African Health Minister Zwelly Mkije said he would withhold the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the immunization program and wait for advice from scientists to ensure the best possible vaccination.

The South African government plans to provide Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines while waiting for the scientists’ judgment.

Earlier, researchers from Oxford University and South Africa’s University of Bittersland conducted a phase 1 and 2 trial on 2026 people. Came out. The effects of the South African mutation in preventing serious illness or hospitalization or death cannot yet be determined, the researchers said.

However, the University of Oxford said that the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine was effective against the UK mutation.
South Africa previously received 1 million doses of the first shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine produced by India’s Serum Institute (SII) on the 1st. South Africa decided to start vaccinating medical staff within two weeks after going through the relevant procedures.