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TimesLIVE reports that healthcare workers would not be used as guinea pigs when SA rolls out its Covid-19 vaccination programme.
That was the message from one of the country’s leading scientists and president of the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Prof Glenda Gray, and health minister, Zweli Mkhize, as the country gears itself for its biggest vaccination rollout. After disappointing news on Sunday that the AstraZeneca vaccine that arrived in SA last week was not effective against mild to moderate disease caused by the dominant Covid-19 variant in SA, it has emerged that healthcare workers will from next week be vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Pfizer vaccines. Mkhize said from next week the country expected to have the two vaccines, which had proved locally to protect against severe disease, hospitalisation and deaths related to the current variant. He added that the AstraZeneca vaccine would remain in the country “until the scientists give us a clear indication what we need to do”. Speaking at the same webinar as Mkhize, Gray also reassured medics. “I agree with the minister that health workers are not guinea pigs. This is not an experiment. We know from our studies that the Ad26 (J&J) vaccine starts protection from day 14 and 28 days after vaccination will protect against hospitalisation, severe disease and death. We want to protect our health workers. We want them to be protected from severe disease, hospitalisation and death,” she stated.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sipokazi Fokazi at TimesLIVE
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