Two million J&J jabs destroyed – what now for SA’s fight against Covid-19?

As schools prepare to return to full capacity and healthcare workers in the Sisonke trial are in limbo, the health department has been urged to give more clarity on the status of its Covid-19 vaccine rollout as the country faced yet another setback to its plan.

This is because South Africa will have to wait – again – for two million rejected Covid-19 vaccine doses to be replaced.

Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane confirmed that the two million doses of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Janssen pharmaceutical companies and stored in the Aspen Gqeberha factory, will be trashed.

ALSO READ: US tells J&J millions of vaccine doses from troubled plant can’t be used

The South African Health Products Authority (Sahpra) confirmed this yesterday, saying it would not “release a vaccine produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable”.

“However, there are approximately 300 000 doses from batches that have been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] that meet the requirements and will subsequently be released and shipped to South Africa,” Sahpra chief executive Dr Boitumelo Semete said yesterday.

Sahpra registered the Covid-19 vaccine Janssen on 31 March with conditions, including that the vaccine should be manufactured under conditions of good manufacturing practices as determined by Sahpra and aligned with global best practice.

“It means that we cannot use those doses that have been suspected to be contaminated,” said health department spokesperson Popo Maja.

ALSO READ: 300k J&J Covid-19 vaccines to be shipped to SA ‘urgently’

These events coincided with government’s rush to get teachers vaccinated ahead of the basic education department’s plans to open primary schools to full capacity next month.

Professor Alex van den Heever expressed concern at the lack of certainty.

“The rather perfunctory statements made by Sahpra and the acting minister of health reveal little about where South Africa’s herd immunity goals stand and leaves more questions than answers,” Van den Heever said.

“It is unclear, to start with, whether the FDA decision only affects a few consignments or all of the doses produced by Aspen.

“I assume they must still deliver on their contract at the stipulated times or face some form of financial penalty.

“If only a few batches of vaccine produced at the Aspen plant are affected, then I don’t understand why these would not be switched for ones that are not contaminated.”

– simnikiweh@citizen.co.za