SA hal ts use of Oxford vaccine

South Africa has halted the use of AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine after evidence emerged that the vaccine did not protect clinicaltrial participants from mild or moderate illness caused by the more contagious virus variant that was first seen in the country, reports New York Times.

The findings are seen as a devastating blow to the country’s efforts to combat the pandemic.

The developments, coming nearly a week after a million doses of the AstraZenecaOxford vaccine arrived in South Africa, were an enormous setback for the country, where more than 46,000 people are known to have died from the virus. And they were another sign of the dangers posed by new mutations. The B.1.351 variant has already spread to at least 32 countries, including the United States, adds New York Times.

In the clinical trial, about 2,000 participants received two doses of the vaccine or placebo shots. In the vaccine group, 19 were infected with the new variant. In the placebo group, 20 people were infected with the new variant.

The minimal difference suggests that the vaccine doesn’t protect against the new variant.

Now health officials in South Africa plan to vaccinate health care workers with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has prevented severe COVID-19 and hospitalizations associated with B.1.351. The company has applied for an emergency use authorization in South Africa.

Researchers at the University of Oxford said they’re working on a new version of the vaccine that can protect against the variant. They hope it will be ready by the fall.

“These results are ver y much a reality check,” Shabir Madhi, a virologist at University of the Witwatersrand who ran the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine trial in South Africa, said of the findings released on Sunday.