Remarks by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti
Good afternoon everyone, bonjour tout le monde, and thank you very much for joining us today.
I am very pleased to be joined by Professors Madhi of the Wits University and Kaleebu of Uganda Virus Research Institute to discuss COVID-19 vaccine trials and vaccine development and approval in Africa.
As to the situation, yesterday, the African continent passed the 500,000 reported COVID-19 cases mark. We are now in a phase where many governments are easing the physical distancing and lockdown measures and we are seeing as a result, an increase in cases, including in South Africa, in Algeria, in Cote d’Ivoire, and other countries, and this is what is happening as well globally. So, it is more important now than ever that the public health and prevention measures be scaled-up and that the response is done in differentiated ways based on what is happening locally, and of course, the involvement of people in all this is absolutely important.
We can expect this virus to continue circulating until a vaccine is made available to people in the world, and to people in Africa.
There are nearly 150 COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including 19 in clinical trials, and I commend South Africa for participating in the first COVID-19 vaccine trial in the WHO African Region. We would also very much like to encourage other Member States to join the vaccine trials and I’m sure we will be hearing more about the vaccine trial in South Africa from Professor Madhi. We know that vaccines are very important for public health, including for COVID-19. When we have an effective COVID-19 vaccine, it will make sure that it takes into account, if countries have participated, the immune response of populations in Africa.
We know also that when we have a vaccine, it will need to be rolled out at unprecedented speed and scale. Equity must be a central focus of our efforts. Too often, African countries have ended-up at the back of the queue for new technologies, including vaccines. These life-saving products must be made available to everyone, not only those who can afford to pay.
We have seen movement around this, with leadership by the African Heads of State, facilitated by the African Union and the launch of the Consortium for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials. Globally, Gavi has launched the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, Facility for cooperative investment, shared risk, pooled procurement, and equitable allocation.
This Facility is part of WHO’s ACT[1] Accelerator, which aims to speed up the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, and WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool, or C-TAP, which aims to make sure everyone has access to relevant intellectual property and know-how to enable equitable deployment of COVID-19 tools.
We also see that even when vaccines are readily available, there are logistical and service delivery barriers to reaching every community, which must be overcome. The regional coverage rate for routine immunization is 76%, which is far short of the 90% goal, and this low coverage leads to frequent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles in the African Region.
So, countries can take steps now that will strengthen health systems, improve vaccine delivery, and pave the way for the introduction of a COVID-19 vaccine. These include: mobilizing financial resources; strengthening local vaccine manufacturing, and regulatory, supply and distribution systems; building workforce skills and knowledge; enhancing outreach services; and listening to community concerns to counter misinformation. This is very important.
A successful COVID-19 vaccine will be a global public good – to ensure that it reaches everyone in need, will require strong health systems and global solidarity.
I very much look forward to our discussion today and thank you again for having joined us.
[1] Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator