New Patent-Free Covid-19 Vaccine Could be Game-Changer for Africa

Two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has seen over 314 million infections and over 5.5 million deaths worldwide. Approximately 60% of the world population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. But there is still a glaring and alarming gap in global access to these vaccines, writes Maureen Ferran, a virologist who has followed this pandemic closely, for The Conversation.

Ferran writes that approximately 72% of vaccine doses were administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries - and only 1% in low-income countries. Wealthy countries are giving boosters, and even fourth doses, while first and second doses are not available to many worldwide. But there is hope that a new vaccine called CORBEVAX will help close this vaccination gap. CORBEVAX was developed by the co-directors of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine, Drs Maria Elena Bottazzi and Peter Hotez. A large U.S.-based clinical trial found the vaccine to be safe, well tolerated and over 90% effective at preventing symptomatic infections. The vaccine has received emergency use authorization in India, and other developing countries are expected to follow.