Coronavirus: Africa ‘at risk of being pushed to the back of the line’ in vaccine development

Lack of clinical trials on continent is ‘concerning’ and it needs to act now to play a role in shaping global agenda, Africa CDC director says

Oxford candidate is being given to participants in South Africa this week in the region’s first trial

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The trial vaccine is given to one of the first participants in Soweto, South Africa on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00am, 26 Jun 2020Updated: 11:24am, 26 Jun 2020

As scientists race to find a coronavirus vaccine, there are concerns Africa could miss out on being part of the global efforts, as the continent grapples with a rising number of cases.

South Africa will be the first African nation to take part in a clinical trial, with volunteers being given a vaccine candidate this week. It comes as the number of cases across the continent has passed 320,000, with more than 8,600 deaths.

But apart from South Africa, no other countries on the continent are involved in the trials under way around the world, from the Americas to Asia and Europe – and that has health experts worried.

“The absence of vaccine trials on this map [of Africa] is concerning,” John Nkengasong, director of the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Wednesday.

He said unless Africa acted now, it was at risk of being left behind in the global vaccine market.

“The African continent needs to act now and work together to play a major role in shaping the global vaccine agenda, or risk being pushed to the back of the line,” Nkengasong said.