The Janssen Covid-19 vaccine is working well in South Africa, offering protection against severe disease and death, the head of a trial in the country said on Friday.
The vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company owned by Johnson & Johnson was administered to healthcare workers from mid-February in a research study, which was completed in May, with 477,234 health workers vaccinated.
South Africa's health regulator approved the shot in April, and it is being used in the national vaccine programme alongside Pfizer's.
Joint lead investigator on the trial, Glenda Gray, told a media briefing that the single-shot J&J vaccine offered 91 per cent to 96.2 per cent protection against death, while offering 67 per cent efficacy when the Beta coronavirus variant dominates and about 71 per cent when the Delta variant dominates.
"Consistently after receiving the vaccine, there was very little death occurring in the vaccinated group as compared to the control group and showing a remarkable up to 96.2 per cent protection against death," Ms Gray said.
"This was our primary endpoint and we are able to say this vaccine protected health workers against death," she added.
