Covid-19 Vaccine: Will the World Adopt Africa’s Made Covid-19 Vaccine?

There are currently 33,486 total confirmed cases, 21,789 active confirmed cases, 10,226 recoveries, and 1,471 deaths from Coronavirus in Africa. Records reveal that the cases have tripled within the last two weeks and the initial misconception that Africans are immune to the virus has been debunked.

Critics have continued to express disappointments at African leaders for viewing the pandemic as an excuse to stay idle and receiving relief aids, while the ‘world’ battle to create a vaccine for Covid-19. They believe that Africa – as a continent and independent nations, should also work on creating a cure for Coronavirus.

There is a continuous spike in COVID-19 cases recorded in Africa and observers believe that authorities in the country can no longer continue to stay idle. They have opined that this could be a blessing in disguise the continent and take advantage of the situation to try and save the world from the pandemic.

Despite the low number of cases in the continent compared to Europe, Asia, and America, international health organizations have continued to project dark times for Africa if a vaccine is not created soon.

Recently, wife of Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft Corporations founder, Melinda Gates projected that she foresees African streets littered with dead bodies from Covid-19 causalities. She claimed this is due to the current state of health care in the continent and its lack of portable drinking.

Earlier on Tuesday, The International Rescue Committee (IRC) released a statement saying one billion people could become infected with the coronavirus within the next few weeks unless vulnerable countries are given urgent help.

The report positioned countries in the African continent among those to be affected most. It said "fragile countries" needed "urgent funding" to avoid a major outbreak.

"There remains a small window of time to mount a robust response," it warned.

Critics have questioned the body language of African leaders, saying that the whole world appears to be concerned about how the Coronavirus can affect African; but claim African leaders are less concerned.

They claim that African leaders are only concerned with the humanitarian aid they stand to receive and are not interested in finding a vaccine anytime soon.

Many observers believe that positions taken by the head of IRC, David Miliband, further relax the concerns of African leaders.

"These numbers should serve as a wake-up call," said the head of the IRC, David Miliband.

"The full, devastating, and disproportionate weight of this pandemic has yet to be felt in the world's most fragile and war-torn countries.

The key now is for donors to urgently put flexible funding behind frontline efforts. Governments must work together to remove any impediment to humanitarian assistance," he added. 

Many observers have also questioned the African Union Commission (AUC) and its inability to establish a joint health research institute in the continent. 

The Africa Research Institute, which operates in that capacity, was founded in 2007 and located in the United Kingdom. The institute is an independent not-for-profit think-tank in the UK to focus exclusively on political, economic, and social issues in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Critics argue that Africa needs to take advantage of this opportunity to show the world that the continent is not just at the receiving end of the food chain but also has something tangible to offer. They believe creating a viable vaccine or even working towards one will go a long in making this mark.

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