The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said it was probing the deaths of 28 people who apparently died after being administered with a Covid-19 vaccine.
The study would be conducted to determine if these fatalities were directly linked to the vaccination in the country where the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer jabs are being used, reports Xinhua news agency.
"We need to determine if the event that we saw is indeed related to the vaccine or related to something else. These are very comprehensive studies that would be conducted," SAHPRA's CEO Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela said on Thursday.
The probe was launched after the SAHPRA on Wednesday told parliamentarians that there were reports of breakthrough infections after people were inoculated with the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
According to the National Health Department's figures, around 5.5 million South Africans have been vaccinated.
Over one million people have received the J&J vaccine and 4.5 million others the Pfizer jab.
SAHPRA said they have received 3,730 reports of adverse events following immunisation, of which 279 were termed as adverse events of special interest.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the country, one of the worst hit in the African continent, has recorded 2,327,472 cases till date, with 68,192 fatalities.
--IANS
ksk/
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU