#Covid19SA

A thread

I hear some people are very upset that rokeout of AZ is postponed until enough data is available!

Decisions made by of our scientist is correct& responsible.

Welcome to world of science where decisions are made based on data& facts not speculations!
Based on data emerged in the past few days:

It is evident that AZ vaccine

☆Does NOT protect YOUNG individuals against the variant first identified in SA (dominant in SA>85%).

There is NO evidence that AZ vaccine protect against severe illness& death!

2/
Why scientists postponed the role out of AZ? Because the available data does NOT support that AZ vaccine prevents severe illness or death!

Severe disease or death was reported NEITHER among vaccinated individuals (~31yr) NOR in placebo (control groups (31yr).

3/
So, Does it mean AZ vaccine is useless? NO! We need more data.

Based on the available data:

First, AZ vaccine is highly
effective against the old variants;thus, it's useful for other countries where other
variants of the virus is circulating!

4/
Second, as suggested by our scientists, human trials similar to J&J vaccine will be done. These trials will include participants from different age groups & possibly healthy & immunocompromused individuals
to evaluated whether AZ vaccine will prevent severe illness & death.
5/
They may also use AZ as a booster! They may evaluate the efficiency of combined vaccines (e.g. 1 dose AZ+1 dose J&J).

Once we have these data, the best approach will be implemented to efficiently use AZ vaccines.

6/
Q: But you hear Scientist think, AZ likely prevents severe illness& death! Why should we wait!

A: In science decisions are made based on data& facts! We don't make decisions based on speculations!

7/
Q: But the expiry dates are in April!

1.Expiry dates are set for 6 months since we have human trial data 6 months post vaccination!

2.If even we vaccinate 100K per day, it takes 10 days to vaccinate 1M people!

There is enough time to collect data&use AZ vaccine efficiently!
To conclude, the decisions made by our scientists to postpone the rollout of AZ vaccines is merely to follow science &protect the health of our citizens!

Vaccinating HC workers& elderly with a vaccine that may NOT protect against severe illness & death is not an option!

End.
Sorry for the typo. Roll out
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