BERLIN: German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Monday that current evidence suggests all three vaccines approved in Europe for COVID-19 provided effective protection against serious infections.

"According to what we know now, all three vaccines are effective in preventing the severe course of the COVID-19 illness," Spahn told a news conference.

South Africa decided to put on hold use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country's dominant coronavirus variant.