South Africa Ditches AstraZeneca Vaccines for Johnson & Johnson

Authorities in South Africa have outlined amended coronavirus immunisation plans, with the country turning its attention to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

They were put on hold when a trial suggested that the AstraZeneca jabs which were due to be distributed were less effective against a local variant of the virus.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said a Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be used to immunise health workers, even though it has yet to be approved in South Africa.

He said it would be deployed as part of an implementation study.

The minister said doses of the Pfizer vaccine had also been secured.

He added that the authorities were considering selling doses of AstraZeneca vaccine the country had bought.

“Why not sell the AstraZeneca… well it’s an option. We will consider it… first our scientists must tell us what to do with it,” he told a news conference.