COVID-19: WHO Condemn Calls For Africa To Be Vaccine Testing Ground

The World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has angrily slammed recent comments made by scientists suggesting a vaccine for the new coronavirus should be tested in Africa as “racist” and a hangover from the “colonial mentality”.

WHO director-general said this in a virtual news conference on monday

He said, “Africa cannot and will not be a testing ground for any vaccine,” insisting “we will follow all the rules to test any vaccine or therapeutics all over the world… whether it is in Europe, Africa or wherever.”

Speaking further he said Research to develop vaccines and treatments to fight the coronavirus has “accelerated at incredible speed,” .

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“The viral genome was mapped in early January and shared globally which enabled tests to be developed and vaccine research to start,”

He said more than 70 countries have joined WHO’s trial to accelerate research on effective treatments and “about 20 institutions and companies are racing to develop a vaccine.”

Tedros said the WHO will be announcing an initiative soon for the accelerated development and equitable distribution of vaccines.

“We will put together a mechanism and we will appoint senior people from the North and South that will work out the details of how they can accelerate production but at the same time how they can ensure equitable distribution,” he said. “When a vaccine or a medicine is ready, we have to be able to deliver it to all over the world. There should not be a divide between the haves and the have nots.”