Africa Urged to Team Up in COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

Africa has the capacity to mass-produce vaccines against COVID-19 if they become available next year but the region will need to be more involved in their search, writes Jackie Opara for SciDev.net. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said there is already existing vaccine manufacturing capacities in countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia because these facilities are involved in the development of vaccines including yellow fever and Ebola. Moeti added: "It is clear that as the international community comes together to develop safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19, equity must be a central focus of these efforts. Too often, African countries end up at the back of the queue for new technologies including vaccines. These life-saving products must be available to everyone, not only those who can afford to pay."