CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was among the first in his country to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, effectively joining an observational study because the Johnson & Johnson vaccine he was given is not yet authorized for general use anywhere in the world. Ramaphosa was broadcast live getting the shot at a district hospital in Khayelitsha, a poor Cape Town township, as part of the government’s campaign to launch its program and convince its 60 million people that the J&J vaccine is safe. The vaccine has been successful in an international trial. South Africa is by far the worst-affected country in Africa in terms of coronavirus caseload, with nearly 1.5 million reported infections including more than 48,000 deaths.
