South Africa indicates that it may resume using AstraZeneca vaccine

South Africa has indicated that it may resume inoculations against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) using the AstraZeneca vaccine which the country had abandoned in the wake of reduced efficacy against Beta variant. South African is currently using Pfizer-BioNTech and single-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines.

Newly appointed South African health minister Joe Phaahla told a press briefing the government was planning to start using other vaccines, including Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccine.

“It was approved … also that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has now been shown to be effective against the Delta variant, that we should also look at bringing it back into use,” Phaahla said.

Earlier this year, the South African government halted the use of Covishield, a version of AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), after a study showed the vaccine provided minimal protection against mild to moderate illness caused by the Beta variant. South Africa sold the Covishied doses it had purchased from SII to African Union.

The South African health minister’s remark suggests the country may consider using the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine again, given its high level of effectiveness against the Delta variant which is swiftly becoming the dominant strain across the world. A recent study of real-world data from Canada showed one dose of AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria helped reduce hospitalisations or deaths by 87%.

As Johnson & Johnson has applied for emergency use approval in India for its single-shot Covid-19 vaccine, its efficacy against variants announced by South Africa is encouraging. Glenda Gray, the joint lead investigator of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine trial in South Africa, said that the single-shot vaccine offers protection against severe disease and death.

Gray told a media briefing that J&J shot, which is being used in the national vaccine programme alongside Pfizer’s, offered 67% efficacy against infection when the Beta variant dominates and about 71% when the Delta variant dominates.

Consistently after receiving the vaccine, there was very little death occurring in the vaccinated group as compared to the control group and showing a remarkable up to 96.2% protection against death,” Gray said.

(With inputs from agencies)