Barely a week after Malawi Leader Lazarus Chakwera announced that government has ordered Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine, South Africa has put its roll-out of the similar vaccine on hold after a study showed “disappointing” results against its new Covid variant, reports the BBC.
Scientists say the strain accounts for 90% of new Covid cases in South Africa.
The study, involving around 2,000 people, found the vaccine offered “minimal protection” against mild and moderate cases of Covid-19.South Africa has received 1m doses of the AstraZeneca jab and was due to start vaccinating people next week.
Speaking at an online news conference on Sunday, South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said his government would wait for further advice on how best to proceed with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in light of the findings.
The trial was carried out by the University of the Witwatersrand but has not yet been peer reviewed.
Addressing the Nation from Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, President Chakwera announced that Malawi will get it’s first consignment of Covid-19 vaccine at the end of February.
Chakwera says Malawians will access the vaccine in March with first consignment arriving in February.
He said the country’s own doctors will access the vaccines before being administered to every Malawian.
“Doctors, nurses, elderly and those with underlying problems will be the first to get the vaccine,” adding that Malawian scientists will do the necessary job on the vaccine before it is administered.
The President has also disclosed that Malawian labs will be the ones now dictating all scientific cases on the pandemic as opposed to what was happening in the past where the country depended on South Africa to do the lab work for the country.
