South Africa is considering swapping or selling the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine meant for the global pandemic Coronavirus after it showed disappointing results.
Plans to use it to vaccinate health workers have been put on hold after a small study suggested a “minimal” effect against the country’s new variant in young people.
It is intending to use a vaccine from Johnson & Johnson instead.
South Africa has one and half million doses of the AstraZeneca jab.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says that there are already some countries that are asking that we must sell it to them.
Mkhize said scientists will continue with further deliberations on the AstraZeneca vaccine used in South Africa and depending on their advice, the vaccine will be swapped before the expiry date.
He added that he was due to speak with the World Health Organization shortly after the news conference.
South Africa has recorded almost 1.5 million cases of coronavirus, and 47,000 deaths – far more than anywhere else on the continent
