Health chief director sheds some light on Johnson & Johnson vaccine

The Ekurhuleni Health District has confirmed that all public hospitals in Ekurhuleni will serve as vaccination sites once the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been rolled out, following its arrival in the country on February 16.

Some clinics and community health centres in the City will also render this service, and health workers across Ekurhuleni have since last month started training staff on administering the Covid-19 vaccine.

According to the Ekurhuleni Health District chief director Terrance Magoro, the department has trained facility representatives, vaccination curators and vaccinators to perform their respective roles during the vaccinations.

“Vaccination against Covid-19 will be free of charge at all public hospitals; however, clients who have medical aid cover will pay through their medical aids after they have been vaccinated,” Magoro said.

Magoro stated the vaccinations process will be conducted in three phases:

Phase one: health workers across the country, which includes everyone who works in the healthcare setting in both the public and private sector.
Phase two: high risk priority groups, which include essential workers, persons from congregate setting, people who are aged 60 years and older and persons older than 18 years with co-morbidities.
Phase three: persons older than 18 years. The department’s target is 22 500 000 of the country’s population.

AstraZeneca

The Department of Health was supposed to have already started with the vaccination on February 10, but due to the reported inefficiency of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the process was put on hold. Scientists found the AstraZeneca vaccine to be less effective against the 501Y.V2 variant.

“The department had to revise its vaccination programme and opted to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in South Africa after it was proven to be effective against the Covid19 501Y.V2,” said Magoro.

Difference between the two vaccines

According to Magoro, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one shot.

“The vaccine is effective in preventing moderate to severe Covid-19 in an average of 28 days after vaccination.
“This vaccine is based on a modified adenovirus, a common virus that causes cold-like symptoms that has been engineered to carry pieces of genetic material from the ‘spike protein’ of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19,” explained Magoro.

In regards to the AstraZeneca vaccine, Magoro shared that the vaccine was developed by AstraZeneca-University of Oxford and it has shown to be effective in many large trials that have been conducted.

“This vaccine is based on a similar modified adenovirus technology to the Johnson & Johnson candidate and requires two doses administered 28 days apart. However, new information has shown that the AstraZeneca vaccine is less effective against the 501Y.V2 variant – which is circulating in South Africa. It is for that reason the National Department of Health has revised its vaccination programme,” Magoro said.

Side-effects

Magoro said these vaccines were generally well-tolerated in study participants.

“According to the available data, the vaccine may cause mild-to-moderate side effects typically associated with vaccinations in general as it has been observed over the years. Side-effects that may be encountered include cold-like symptoms, headache, body aches, pain at the injection site and a fever. This is often a normal sign that the body’s immune response is being primed,” said Magoro.

The chief director encouraged people to vaccinate, adding that if more people are vaccinated, the pathogen (Covid-19) will have a hard time circulating because most of the people it encounters will be immune.

“The more people are vaccinated, the less likely people who are unable to be protected by vaccines will be at risk of being exposed to the harmful pathogens,” Magoro said.

Health workers who would like to be vaccinated are urged to register by using the following link: https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za