Last checked at 
(Corrects paragraph 4 to show protection rates are against
hospitalisation, not infection.)
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's
COVID-19 vaccine is working well in South Africa, offering
protection against severe disease and death, the co-head of a
trial in the country said on Friday.
The J&J vaccine was administered to healthcare workers from
mid-February in a research study, which was completed in May,
with 477,234 health workers vaccinated, joint lead investigator
Glenda Gray told a media briefing.
South Africa's health regulator approved the J&J shot in
April, and it is being used in the national vaccine programme
alongside Pfizer's.
Gray said the single-shot J&J vaccine offered 91% to 96.2%
protection against death, while offering 67% protection against
hospitalisation when the Beta coronavirus variant dominates and
about 71% protection against hospitalisation 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%
protection against death," Gray said.
"This was our primary endpoint and we are able to say this
vaccine protected health workers against death," she added.
South Africa's vaccination campaign got off to a shaky start
in February after the government paused AstraZeneca
vaccinations because of a small trial showing the shot offered
minimal protection against mild to moderate illness caused by
the Beta variant, which was dominant in the country at the time.
Vaccinations have since ramped up, with over 8.3 million
people vaccinated as of Thursday.
Newly appointed health minister Joe Phaahla told the same
briefing that the government was planning to start using other
vaccines approved by the regulator, including the Sinovac shot.
"It was approved ... also that the AstraZeneca vaccine,
which has now been shown to be effective against the Delta
variant, that we should also look at bringing it back into use,"
Phaahla said.
(Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Jason Neely
and Alexander Smith)
