South Africa pauses AstraZeneca vaccine drive

The Astra Zeneca vaccine.
(Image credit: Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)

South Africa said it will stop using the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after data emerged showing it provided only minimal protection against mild and moderate infections caused by the new, more contagious virus variant first seen in the country.

The news was announced on Sunday, almost a week after 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine arrived in South Africa. Health officials said if further research shows that the vaccine could protect against more severe cases of coronavirus, the government will consider using it, The New York Times reports.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.