South Africa’s decision to discontinue the mass launch of the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after a study showed it offers little protection against the South African variant is “only a temporary delay” and includes a new launch strategy, the chief Covid of South Africa -19 said the advisory committee on Monday.
“This is only a temporary delay, but the way we launch it will be different in that we take a two-step approach,” epidemiologist Salim Abdool Karim told Times Radio.
During a briefing on Sunday, Karim said that “if the vaccine is shown to be ineffective in reducing hospitalizations, then we should offer those individuals another effective vaccine – either a booster of that vaccine … or a another vaccine. So we can continue with our launch, but we have to do it … wisely, taking a progressive approach. “
He stressed that the reason for this approach is that “we do not really know the answer to severe disease.”
Early data released on Sunday suggests that two doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine provided only “minimal protection” against mild and moderate Covid-19 of the first identified version in South Africa.
Viral neutralization against the variant, called B.1.351, has been “substantially reduced” compared to the previous coronavirus strain, Oxford University said in a press release. The effectiveness of the severe Covid-19 vaccine, hospitalization and death have not been evaluated.
Karim went on to explain on Monday that South Africa would launch a mass vaccine only after they were “confident” that it would reduce hospitalization to 100,000 people infected with the first-identified variant in the country.
The first step is to vaccinate probably around 100,000 people and then assess hospitalization rates. And once we are confident that hospitalization rates are low with the AstraZeneca vaccine, we will continue to launch the remaining millions of doses we have, ”said Karim.
“If it turns out that hospitalization rates aren’t as low as we’d like, then of course we’ll stop and launch no other AstraZeneca – so that’s the plan.”
The vaccination program in South Africa has been delayed by about two to three weeks, Karim added, saying it is how long it takes for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to pass to reach the country.
“With each vaccine we launch, we can consider it as a two-step process – it’s a gradual introduction of each vaccine,” Karim explained.
However, the country is also struggling with the current millions of doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which expires in April.
The vaccine should have an expiration date of six months, a Department of Health official said in a briefing Sunday – when the break was announced – but the Oxford / AstraZeneca doses South Africa received earlier this month from the Serum Institute in India “came until the expiration date of April which I identified only on arrival.”
Dr. Anban Pillay of the Department of Health said the department is awaiting a response after asking the Serum Institute for “an extension of the date, if possible, or an exchange of stocks.”
During Sunday’s briefing, South African Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize said that for the next four weeks, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines will be available to health workers and will examine the expiration date. Oxford / AstraZeneca broadcast the date, saying there should be no “waste”.