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

J Infect Dis. 2020 Jul 6;222(3):351-355. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa303.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; ethics; global health; public health; vaccine trials.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Africa / epidemiology
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Clinical Trials as Topic* / ethics
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections / ethnology
  • Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Pandemics / prevention & control*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / ethnology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control*
  • Prevalence
  • Public Health
  • Viral Vaccines*
  • World Health Organization

Substances

  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Viral Vaccines