JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has sought to support his government’s efforts to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as it struggles to implement a vaccination program and an economic recovery plan. South Africa this week halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to start inoculating front-line healthcare workers after it was found to be minimally effective in preventing mild to moderate cases of the disease caused by the variant dominant in this country. Instead, the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be given to healthcare workers to launch South Africa’s drive to vaccinate 67% of its population of 60 million this year.
