The race is on and researchers worldwide are working round the clock to find a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
But as the global scientific community edges towards discovery of a vaccine, experts say partnership between scientists and communities across all countries is critical to ensure that solutions are not just developed rapidly but are also globally affordable and accessible by all to effectively fight the pandemic.
This is coming amid growing concerns that African countries face the risk of being excluded completely when a vaccine is developed or used only as guinea pigs for the richer nations.
There are more than 102 candidate vaccines that researchers are working on, nine of which are now being tested in clinical trials in humans, available data show.
These projects are in various stages of development, from research to clinical trials. Three coronavirus vaccines have entered phase 2 clinical trials. The top contenders are the Moderna vaccine, Novavax vaccine, Pfizer and BNTECH vaccine, Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Sinovac Biotech, CanSino Biologics, and Sanofi vaccine.
The most promising of them at the moment appear to be the US-based Moderna Therapeutics, China’s CanSino Bio’s and Novavax vaccine. Moderna has received approval from the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) to conduct the phase 2 clinical trials of its potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate. It also received FDA ‘fast-track’ designation. The phase 2 trial involving 600 healthy volunteers will assess the safety and immunogenicity of two vaccinations of mRNA-127.
In Africa, one vaccine trial has so far begun in South Africa and one is one waiting approval in Kenya.
But African scientists are worried that wealthier nations may buy up the vaccines when developed, leaving little or nothing for the continent, which, however, is receiving accolades on how it has managed the pandemic against wide expectations.
Nigeria’s health authority recently admitted that the country may not have access to the vaccine when developed, explaining that the global supply chain is structured in a way that makes access to therapeutics, diagnostics and ultimately the vaccine needed to fight the pandemic difficult.As at Monday, Nigeria has recorded 7,839 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 2,263 recoveries and 226 deaths.

Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general, Nigeria Centres for Disease Control (NCDC), noted that Nigeria and indeed Africa have a history of being blocked out of vaccines, or getting it late largely due to affordability, among other issues. He recalled that Nigeria accessed the human papilloma virus vaccine 10 years later, due to the cost.
Similarly, the Ebola vaccine, Everbo, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Commission late 2019, yet the Democratic Republic of Congo, the highest risk country, is yet to get access to the vaccine despite mortality rate of 50 percent.
Chris Chibuike, a public health expert, said the business side of the vaccine development may be the reason behind huge concerns that Africa may be blocked out. He said those who own the patent might prioritise distribution based on who can afford.
But researchers warn that to really get a handle on this pandemic, any COVID-19 vaccine must work globally including in Africa and will require Africa’s participation in the development of a vaccine including clinical trial.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, board chair, GAVI alliance, warned that “no one in the world is safe until everybody’s safe” and “no country is safe until every country is safe”, regardless of their economic standing.
Okonjo-Iweala stressed that the vaccine, when it is ready, must be accessible to people across the world, in countries both rich and poor and pharmaceutical industry will have to think “not about profits to be made, but getting access to all of humanity”.
“For us to get the vaccine everywhere, it has to be treated like a global public good, meaning that those who develop the vaccine within this consortium should be able to allow the intellectual property to be a global good that can used so that the vaccine can be manufactured in great quantity and administered to everyone all over the world, including Africa,” she noted during a recent web discussion on BBC. “If we don’t get that and people do this for profit, then it will not work.”
She said part of that effort would also have to focus on reducing fears about vaccination.
The racist comment of French researchers suggests that Africa’s role in the search for a vaccine is exploitative and as a result, Africans say they will not participate in COVID-19 clinical trials. Experts are worried that this could delay the development of a vaccine.
Researchers and scientists say that it is vital that Africans ignore the comment and take part in the trials, arguing that excluding Africa could jeopardise efforts to find a vaccine that works worldwide and not just for richer nations.
This is because clinical trials need to include a variety of geographies, ancestries, ages and risk groups to ensure treatments will be widely successful when rolled out. There are also different strains of the virus which will guide the development of a vaccine.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has repeatedly said the COVID-19 pandemic would remain for a long time and a vaccine would be the ultimate weapon against this deadly virus and the best route back to normal life. WHO said a vaccine would also allow lockdowns to be lifted more safely, social distancing to be relaxed, and for economies to restart safely.
Experts therefore insist that it is important for African researchers to engage globally in the race to finding a vaccine and insist on equitable access when developed.
Matshidiso Moeti, regional director, WHO Regional Office for Africa, agrees that sometimes low-income countries do not have access to new tools in a way that rich countries do.
She, however, assured that with the recently launched initiative – access to Covid-19 tools – WHO and its partners are pushing to ensure an absolute focus on equity and access including targeting African countries, and ensuring they are not disadvantaged once a vaccine is developed.
Nigerian authorities have announced that the country has started re-thinking its response and will begin to engage globally.
Patrick Dakum, CEO of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, said it was important for the country to join global efforts in developing vaccines and therapeutics.
“Nigeria should work both locally by funding its scientists to discover vaccine and globally through international partnerships,” he said.
He, however, noted that vaccine discovery is good for the future but effective case detection, isolation/treatment and contact tracing will enable Nigeria and Africa get the pandemic under control.
Though the number of COVID-19 cases in African nations has not ballooned to the extent that it has in the United States, parts of Asia, Europe, and other non-African countries, there are fears there could still be yet-unidentified clusters of cases spreading quietly on the continent since testing has yet to be ramped up in most of the countries.
As at May 20, 2020, Africa has recorded over 90,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases with more than 35,000 recoveries and 2,885 deaths.
Adaobi Onyechi, a laboratory scientist, said though COVID-19 has a low fatality ratio, a major disadvantage is that it spreads easily, therefore millions of Nigerians and Africans as a whole are still vulnerable to it.
She noted that though contact tracing and isolation have helped halt the spread of the virus, a vaccine would be most effective because it would shield people from contracting the virus in the first place, especially as the country is still struggling with management of patients and adherence to preventive measures.
Onyechi also said vaccines could also help save a lot of resources that have gone to waste due to the preventive measures that have been put in place and the cost of managing/treating patients.
Experts across the world also agree that a vaccine would provide some protection by training people’s immune systems to fight the virus so they should not become sick.
