SA says documentation on Russian Covid-19 vaccine sent to regulator

SA’s health ministry said on Tuesday the manufacturers of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine had submitted documentation to the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) for registration.

The ministry said it was “continuously engaging” with the manufacturers of the Sputnik V vaccine.

It said scientists were conducting detailed analyses on the vaccine following concerns about the effects of its Ad5 component on communities with a high prevalence of HIV.

SA has one of the highest HIV burdens globally.

The country hopes to start rolling out Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine to health workers in a research study this week.

It has paused the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine because preliminary data showed it offered minimal protection against mild to moderate illness from the country’s dominant coronavirus variant, 501Y.V2.

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