A top Ghanaian research executive has said that Africa will be last in line to get any vaccines or medicines, when there is a breakthrough in the production of Covid-19 vaccines.
This is according to the Executive Director of Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Dr. John Amuasi, who warned that Africa would be the last continent to be considered for vaccination.
He made his observation at a webinar on ‘Balancing the tripod of a pandemic: The role of government, NGOs and Research Organisations,’ organised by the Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium, Amuasi said the picture in Africa concerning the spread of the pandemic had not received special attention because the focus is always on Europe and North America.
“The news is always revolving around North America and Europe. How much of Africa do you hear in the news?
“For Ebola, it was different because they were all pretty safe over there, while the disease raged through Africa.
“I can tell you that the COVID-19 vaccine is also all about North America and Europe. While there are all these talks about access to Africa, we must not kid ourselves.
“We will be the last in line to get any vaccine or medicines. It is just a fact!”
While reiterating that it was not a conspiracy theory, the researcher, who is also a teacher at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, said people should understand that it was the way things work.
