South African Opposition Party Says COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Roll-Out’ is a Sham

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a breakaway party from the ruling ANC, said they had asked why the government had given no details of placebo or control groups in its mass trial of the US-developed Johnson & Johnson vaccine — its first field trial against the more-infectious “South African” strain of coronavirus.

A South African opposition party has accused the government of “misleading the nation” over its COVID-19 vaccine “roll-out”.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the third-largest party in parliament, accused the African National Congress Government of falsely claiming its mass clinical trial of US firm Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine on up to 500,000 healthcare workers was part of a national immunisation program.

EFF national spokesman Vuyani Pambo said his party had asked Health Minister Zweli Mkhize at the Parliamentary Health Committee on February 10 why his department had not published details of a placebo control group in the scheme, which at that point was being referred to as “Phase 1” of a mass inoculation drive.

​Health officials have termed the inoculation experiment an “open-label” trial, meaning participants know which vaccine they are receiving — and not a placebo, commonly used to check if the drug being tested gives any significant benefits over no treatment at all.

Pambo said it was “shameful” that Mkhize had “subverted the ethical process of ensuring the nation” and participants knew they were taking part in a trial, and also tried to pass off the experimental vaccine as approved by regulators.

Members of the board of national drug regulator SAHPRA also objected last week to the government calling the trail of the J & J vaccine, which has yet to be approved for general use, a “roll-out”. A doctor also pointed out that the trial was the first in-vivo test of its effectiveness against the more-easily transmitted 501Y.V2 strain dominant in the country.

Sourse: sputniknews.com