South Africa has just started the first clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine on the continent. This vaccine candidate was developed by the University of Oxford and is already being tested on humans in Great Britain.
South Africa is approaching 140,000 detected cases of coronavirus and 2,500 dead and remains the most affected country in Africa by the pandemic. Last April, a controversy over the possibility that the continent could be used as a guinea-pig to test vaccines had triggered a strong anger. But this time, the South African authorities specify that they are voluntary.
2,000 volunteers in South Africa
According to Rfi, the vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is to be tested on 2,000 volunteers in South Africa. A clinical trial is already underway in Great Britain on 4,000 people. And another study is planned in Brazil on 5,000 people.
An effective vaccine
The objective is to: determine if this vaccine is effective in different areas of the world and in various populations. Researchers also want to know if particularly vulnerable people with AIDS can also be protected. In South Africa, the trial must include 50 HIV-positive people.
Africa “a testing ground”
Last April, two French scientists had raised on television the possibility of using Africa as “a testing ground” for vaccines. Their words had sparked heated controversy. The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, denounced “racist” remarks and “the legacy of a colonial mentality”.
Far from this controversy, the South African authorities are volunteering to participate in this study, arguing that the continent should not be excluded from global scientific research.
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