Healthcare workers administer the first batch of Johnson and Johnson vaccines at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, 17 February 2021, as health workers receive the first jabs of the vaccine in the fight against the coronvirus pandemic. Picture: Michel Bega
Is it unpatriotic to wonder whether South Africa’s health authorities are a bit like the rabbit frozen in the headlights when it comes to the Covid-19 vaccinations?
We’ve given jabs to less than 300 000 health workers in a “trial” of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after deciding the AstraZeneca shots were not effective enough.
Our already snail-paced progress in trying to protect more than 70% of South Africans with the vaccines has
suffered a further setback as we followed an American decision to suspend dispensing the J&J jabs because of fears they cause clotting.
While it is to be welcomed that our authorities are cautious when it comes to our health, we wonder whether such apparently drastic steps are necessary, given that the Americans reported just six women under the age of 50 had developed the clots – and only one had died – out of more than 6 million vaccinated.
That clot formation rate is lower, for example, than that in women who use oral contraceptives, say experts,
Are the Americans panicking? Are we following their panicky lead?
Those are important questions which need to be considered. There may be risks in the vaccines, but Covid-19 is a much deadlier threat.
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