The Case for Why Africa Should Host COVID-19 Candidate Vaccine Trials

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>In response to provocative comments by 2 European clinicians and scientists, the World Health Organization Director General has declared that Africa will not host COVID-19 vaccine trials. Such a stance risks stigmatizing COVID-19 vaccine trials in Africa and depriving Africa of critical research. To the contrary, there is a critical need for Africa to host COVID-19 vaccine trials on public health, scientific, and ethics grounds.</jats:p>

Who is running faster, the virus or the vaccine?

“…Vaccine hesitancy may also derive from the public perception that there is a low risk following COVID-19 infection, particularly in countries with advanced universal healthcare. This trend is in agreement with the fact that countries with limited healthcare generally show high acceptance for the vaccine (Ipsos 2020), such as China (97%), Brazil (88%), and India (88%) where preventive treatment plays a pivotal role in their healthcare systems (Makoni 2020;Singh 2020). To encourage acceptance, public health authorities and members of the scientific community need to actively engage in communications with the public to ensure recognition of the risks associated with COVID-19 infections and the benefits of protection provided by the vaccine (Stefanelli and Rezza 2014;Wang et al 2020c).…”

“…To date, there have been more than 200 candidates registered with the World Health Organization (WHO), including nine currently in Phase 3 clinical trials (WHO 2020a ). Communities with inadequate healthcare, vulnerable population groups, and areas with community spread of COVID-19 are in most need of vaccines (Singh 2020 ). While researchers are racing against time, it is of paramount importance to ensure the safety of the vaccines that are about to be used by a significant portion of the global population (Makoni 2020 ).…”

A Descriptive-Multivariate Analysis of Community Knowledge, Confidence, and Trust in COVID-19 Clinical Trials among Healthcare Workers in Uganda

“…The emerging consensus is that communities should be inclusively involved in the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of such trials to increase trust, acceptability and to negotiate challenges as they arise [ 7 ]. Many African countries would benefit from improving their capacity to host clinical trials and investing in research collaborations [ 8 ]. A set of common ethical guidelines for the continent as a whole has been suggested as a way to improve both trust and research quality [ 1 ].…”

Covid-19, the WHO, and the apparent collapse of traditional medical research ethics

“…Proponents and defenders of Covid-19 vaccines testing in Africa are, arguably, mostly eminent scientists and research funding beneficiaries. The gist of the recurring thrust of their several arguments for vaccine testing is that Africa bears 25% of the global burden of disease but conducts only 2% of clinical trials; that Africa's virtual absence from the "clinical trials map" is a big problem; that it is vital for Africans to take part in vaccine trials or else the aim of finding a vaccine that works worldwide and not just for the richer nations would be jeopardised; that Africa risks being 'locked out' from the world to continue in its legacy of exclusion, inequality and poverty; that different circumstances and genetic profiles affect how a [4] vaccine may work, and Africa needs to take part in vaccine tests to ensure having a vaccine that works in Africa (37,38).…”