South Africa giving unapproved Johnson & Johnson vaccine to health-care workers

The HIll ^ | 02/10/21 10:29 AM EST | BY JORDAN WILLIAMS

[RandFan]

South Africa will begin administering Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine to health-care workers.

South African Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize said during a news briefing that the vaccine “has been proven effective against the 501Y.V2 variant and the necessary approval processes for use in South Africa are underway.”

Mkhize said it will move forward with phase 1 of its vaccination strategy, which targets health-care workers, in the form of an “implementation study” in partnership with the Medical Research Council and vaccination sites across the country.

In a statement to The Hill, Johnson & Johnson said it is in “advanced discussions with the South African government about potential additional collaborations to combat COVID-19 in the country, and we hope to be able to share more details in the coming days.”

“We are committed to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable and at-risk populations worldwide and to supporting further clinical understanding of the variants to help stop their spread,” the company said.

The change comes after South Africa paused rollout of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday after finding that it didn’t protect agains the South African strain that has become dominant in the country.

The company is reportedly making a new version of the vaccine that would be effective against the variant, and could be available by the fall.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was found to be 66 percent effective in preventing moderate or severe disease overall. However, efficacy dropped from 72 percent in the U.S. to 57 percent in South Africa.

South Africa has seen almost 1.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, the largest number in Africa, which includes nearly 47,000 deaths, according to The Associated Press.

[a fool in paradise]

Unapproved by whom?

>>South African Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize said during a news briefing that the vaccine “has been proven effective against the 501Y.V2 variant and the necessary approval processes for use in South Africa are underway.”
>>
>>Mkhize said it will move forward with phase 1 of its vaccination strategy, which targets health-care workers, in the form of an “implementation study” in partnership with the Medical Research Council and vaccination sites across the country.

There is government oversight, this isn’t rogue doctors giving it to patients or random testing on unsuspecting peoples.

There are tests groups of humans before general use is aproved and it would appear that this is designed to put prepare people on the front lines of contact for a virus they might encounter.

Can they opt out at this time?

[PGR88]

Exactly - more US media spin.

J&J are not in the business of selling illegal medicines. No doubt South Africa has approved it, or their Government wouldn’t be buying it.

FDA bureaucrats do not represent the world.

[Harpotoo]

This is the nonMNRA vac which doesn’t require freezing and is a 1 shot vac based on current yealy flu vacs! This is the 1 I want when available!

[RicocheT]

The J & J vaccine has had some testing trials which show good results. We in the west (US, Europe and S. America) demand rigorous testing due to our high expectations and trial lawyer lawsuits.

For a country such as South Africa with a bad and run down infrastructure (roads, rail, failing electric grid) and a large population living in remote areas, the J&J vaccine has some good points, one dose, doesn’t need to be handled and transported below 32F and is at a price point that an impoverished government can afford, it has merit.

We should follow the outcomes of this mass vaccine use to get data we can use to use it here or improve what we have.

[aumrl]

I agree
if I get a vaccine I’m leaning toward J&J