Monday | February 8, 2021

The one (1) million Oxford/AstraZenec vaccine that arrived in South Africa in pomp and ceremony last week Monday will not be rolled out as planned. As a matter of fact, the government has decided to shelve the entire batch because of its low efficacy rate upon inoculation in the face of Covid-19 variant(s). This is the result of a study conducted by medical professors who are part of the Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize’s advisory panel.

Led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Deputy David. D. Mabuza and an entourage of government dignitaries on a motorcade to O. R. International Airport, the consignment for the vaccine was received gleefully. With the public demanding answers of how a government with its advisors could botch this highly anticipated delivery of the vaccines, that showy reception at the airport has now become a public relations disaster.

Moreover, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine now on SA shores will expire in April this year. This date comes to a head at a time when the government said vaccination will be put on hold. Delaying the use of the vaccine reduces the valid time for vaccination.

Now what is the plan from the authorities? Even though experts say the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is useful in severe cases and death prevention, talks are being advanced to see to their replacement.

According to the Director General of the Department of Health Anban Pillay, they are exploring whether the received consignment of jabs could be returned back to the Serum Institute in India “for exchange it for a new batch or if the expiry date can be pushed back”.

As far as sales or procurement arrangements are concerned, this should be doable. But the discovery of the lifespan of the vaccine upon arrival is raising inexplicable questions. More importantly, the fact that coronavirus vaccines were developed based on the outbreak at the beginning and now the pandemic has mutated shows gaps in the global reaction to this devastating virus. The challenge at the moment is that current supplies fall short on efficacy levels in preventing.

There is a “57% efficacy against moderate to severe disease and 89% efficacy against severe disease and death”, Shabir A. Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology in the School of Pathology at the University of the Witwatersrand and Director of the world-renowned Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA), said on Sunday Feb. 7 during a presentation of the study on Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa. It is this reduction in efficacy that has led to the shelving of the Oxford/AstraZeneca in this country.

However, Johnson & Johnson (J&) vaccine has shown high efficacy outcomes when compared with other Covid-19 vaccines. For this reason, J&J will receive preference from the South African government.

Meanwhile, Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine which was meant for rollout in a few days has been placed on ice. Although its lifespan is being reduced while stowed in local storage facilities, it is not known when this batch of vaccines will be used or sent back to the supplier.

In the intervening period, the Frontline workers, mainly those in the health sector, have to wait since they were the first in line for the unprecedented Covid-19 vaccination. In the public sphere, the citizens are none the wiser either about the confusion that comes with the coronavirus vaccine mix-up. Sooner rather than later, the government must unequivocally clear the air.