He said that volumes on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange were quite low suggesting that investors were staying on the sidelines to see where inflation was headed.
The rand was 1.2pc weaker at 13.7475 per dollar, moving further from a 28-month high hit last week.
U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs said it expects Brent crude prices to reach $80 per barrel this summer as vaccine rollouts boost global economic activity.
The health regulator, Anvisa, said the approval was based on studies by Pfizer that "indicated the vaccine's safety and effectiveness for this age group."
Blinken "stressed the importance of cooperation and transparency regarding the origin of the virus," including allowing WHO experts back into China, State Department spokesman.
"He also called on Beijing to cease its pressure campaign against Taiwan and peacefully resolve cross-Strait issues," a State Department statement said.