The omens augured well when the first big vaccine delivery arrived. Heavy rain, always a sign of good fortune in South Africa, fell as a masked President Ramaphosa stood on sodden tarmac to welcome the first tranche of a million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca. Results of a trial among younger patients suggested that the vaccine did not work against variants of the virus prevalent in South Africa. SponsoredToday South Africa has reason to rue its extreme caution. It is battling a third wave of cases while its public vaccination programme has yet to get under way.

Source: The Times May 12, 2021 16:40 UTC