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The WHO said 76 wealthy nations were now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the WHO that aims to help buy and distribute injections fairly.
John Nkengasong. Image: africacdc.org
NAIROBI – All nations must unite in a global effort to acquire and distribute potential coronavirus vaccines around the world, the head of Africa’s disease watchdog said on Thursday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said 76 wealthy nations were now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by WHO that aims to help purchase and distribute injections fairly.
The United States, however, said it would not join the effort, called COVAX, because of President Donald Trump’s administration’s objection to the WHO’s involvement.
“We’re in this together. No country will be sure if any other country in the world still has COVID cases,” said John Nkengasong, director of the Addis-based African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa-CDC). Abeba, at an online press conference.
COVAX aims to acquire and administer 2 billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of 2021. It currently has nine COVID-19 vaccine candidates in its portfolio employing a variety of different technologies and scientific approaches.
Some are already in late-stage clinical trials and may have data available by the end of the year.
It is co-chaired by GAVI, WHO, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and is designed to deter national governments from stockpiling COVID-19 vaccines and focus on vaccinating the highest-risk people in each country.
Through the African Union, Africa has developed a plan to access COVID-19 vaccines when they become available, Nkengasong said, adding that the continent will also hold talks with COVAX, complementing other talks with individual nations such as China.
Africa CDC weekly press conference on # COVID-19 – September 3, 2020 https://t.co/GMgobfy6Eb
– Africa CDC (@AfricaCDC) September 3, 2020
The continent has fared better than expected, say the continent’s health experts and government officials, during the first wave of the pandemic, which began in March.
The number of new cases fell 11% in the past four weeks, Nkengasong said, adding that recoveries stood at 80% of the 1.26 million infections reported on the mainland so far.
“We are seeing an epidemiological curve that is stabilizing or decreasing, which is a sign of hope,” he said, adding that the picture may not be entirely clear due to an inadequate number of tests.
However, he warned that it was too early for the continent to declare victory against the pandemic.
“We are very careful not to fall into a state of complacency,” he said.
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