African Union Commission launches consortium for COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial

“We want to be sure we don't find ourselves in the 1996 scenario where HIV drugs were available but it took almost seven years for those drugs to be accessible on the continent,” Africa CDC director John Nkengasong told reporters. With any COVID-19 vaccine, a “delay in Africa of even one year would be catastrophic,” he said.

With painful memories of many dying in Africa while waiting for accessible HIV drugs years ago, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a consortium aimed at securing more than 10 late-stage COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials on the continent as early as possible. “We want to be sure we don't find ourselves in the 1996 scenario where HIV drugs were available but it took almost seven years for those drugs to be accessible on the continent,” Africa CDC director John Nkengasong told reporters.

With any COVID-19 vaccine, a “delay in Africa of even one year would be catastrophic,” he said. He said the consortium of African institutions will engage with the GAVI vaccine alliance and others outside the continent amid efforts to ensure that a vaccine is distributed equitably from the start. And with misinformation around vaccine trials spreading in Africa, the trials would help build community trust, he said.

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