Access and funding stand in the way of Africa to receive the coronavirus vaccine

Africa News for Monday, December 14, 2020

Source: teastafrican.co.ke

2020-12-14

With many countries around the world making important decisions about who will get vaccinated against Covid-19, Africa is increasingly on the razor’s edge as access to the vaccine is not guaranteed.

The challenge facing Africa is access: availability of the necessary vaccine doses and access to financing to make purchases.

Specifically, Africa is escalating barriers in the ongoing global race to access the vaccine, as rich countries, which account for only 13 percent of the world’s population, have already cornered more than half (51 percent) of the world’s population. Promised doses of the main Covid-19 vaccine candidates. according to Oxfam International.

Oxfam analyzed the agreements that pharmaceutical corporations and vaccine producers have already reached with countries for the top five vaccine candidates currently in phase 3 clinical trials, based on data collected by Airfinity, the data analysis company and science.

African countries are also grappling with logistics: how to distribute vaccines that until now require extremely cold temperatures. The even tougher choice is who gets them first. Scientists recommend people who are most at risk and those most likely to transmit the virus.

“We are very happy that vaccines are starting to become available but we are concerned about access … For now, high-income countries have bought or purchased the vaccines that are available; Our first challenge is to get the vaccines from the manufacturers, ”Dr. Donald Kaberuka, a member of the Covid-19 African Vaccine Procurement Task Force, told The EastAfrican.

According to the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-Africa), Africa needs two billion dozen to vaccinate 60 percent of the population and contain the pandemic, that is, stop the transmission and death from Covid-19.

This will cost approximately $ 12 billion which is expected to come from three sources: the Covax Donor Initiative, the World Bank and the African Import and Export Bank (Afrexim), which has pledged to raise up to $ 5 billion.

“We have a proposal on the table that involves African governments agreeing to take over bank facilities (Afrexim) and take advantage of some of those resources to provide enough vaccines for countries,” said Dr. Kaberuka, stressing that African countries cannot relying on charity to access the vaccine.

While the East African region, like the rest of Africa, relies on the Gavi Vaccine Alliance initiative, Covax AMC, a funding mechanism that will support the access of 92 low and middle income economies to safe Covid-19 vaccines and effective.

Under the initiative, only two billion doses may be available by the end of 2021, half of which will go to vulnerable and high-risk individuals, including front-line health and social care workers.

In East Africa, Kenya, which launched a phase one trial of the Oxford AstraZeneca candidate vaccine, has better access opportunities as countries that participated in clinical trials are given priority.

“Obtaining the first emergency licenses is not enough, we want more research and development to ensure that more of our populations are vaccinated in controlled programs to discover any adverse effects now, when the number of vaccinated is low, so that we can have better protocols for when we get general population licenses, ”Kawaldip Sehmi, executive director of the London-based International Alliance for Patient Organizations, told The EastAfrican.

African Medical Agency

Kawaldip expressed frustration that African countries had not ratified the African Union-backed African Medicines Agency (WADA), which would take the lead to ensure Africa has access to quality, effective vaccines and research and logistics. coordinated vaccines, including the Covax initiative.

However, so far only six countries have ratified it: Mali, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Seychelles and Guinea. WADA needs the signature and ratification of 15 members of the African Union before it can enter into force.

“They (the African countries) have not ratified the treaty. So far it does not exist after two years. Even if it does occur, they will face challenges, as it will be a resource-poor startup and sovereignty will make vaccines a political option. Unless this agency is resuscitated quickly, many Africans will not enjoy access to safe, quality and timely vaccines, ”Kawaldip said, stressing that having a comprehensive vaccination program is important.

Speaking at the 2020 virtual Africa Economic Conference last week, Dr. John Nkengasong, Africa CDC director, said Africa lacks a competent workforce and remains a bystander to research and development, which is lagging behind other regions in the development of vaccines that several developed countries are already working to administer to their citizens.

So far, only six countries in Africa have been able to develop diagnostics for the Covid-19 pandemic, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal and Morocco.

However, he expressed optimism that the continent is ready to face the second wave.

“The continent is much more prepared to deal with the second wave than we were 11 months ago,” he said.

Approximately 2.3 million people in Africa have contracted Covid-19 to date, of which more than 54,500 have died from the disease.