South Africa’s Healthcare Workers Pin Hopes on Johnson&Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine

Healthcare workers in South Africa are eagerly awaiting the first jabs of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine amid a coronavirus variant which is spreading fast across the country.

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The Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine has not yet been approved for general use anywhere in the world. But South Africa has purchased nine million doses and 80,000 will be delivered this week to kick off the inoculation campaign.

The country’s regulatory body has approved the J&J for testing purposes and officials have applied for emergency use approval.

Last week South Africa controversially decided to drop the AstraZeneca vaccine from the inoculation drive’s first phase in which 1.25 million healthcare workers were set to get the shots.

The last-minute decision was made after a small test showed the vaccine offered minimal protection against mild to moderate cases of the variant dominant in South Africa.

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