TSR Updatez: The World Health Organization (WHO) is speaking out against the suggestion to test covid-19 vaccines in Africa.
WHO officials felt compelled to denounce the idea as “racist.” This comes after two top French doctors discussed testing a trial for a coronavirus vaccine on “poor Africans.” One of the doctors later issued an apology.
“Africa can’t and won’t be a testing ground for any vaccine,” said WHO’s Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, according to the BBC.
The doctors’ remarks during that TV debate sparked global outrage as they were accused of racism and colonialism. The clip also spawned the hashtag “#AfricansArentLabRats,” which trended on social media over the weekend.
When asked about the French doctors’ suggestion during WHO’s coronavirus briefing, Dr. Tedros became visibly angry, and referred to it as a hangover from the “colonial mentality”.
“It was a disgrace, appalling, to hear during the 21st Century, to hear from scientists, that kind of remark. We condemn this in the strongest terms possible, and we assure you that this will not happen,” Tedros said.
The doctors, Jean-Paul Mira and Camille Locht, were speaking on the French TV channel LCI.
“If I can be provocative,” Mira said in the clip, “shouldn’t we do this study in Africa where there are no masks, no treatment, no intensive care? A bit like we did in some studies on AIDS. We tried things on prostitutes because they are highly exposed and do not protect themselves.”
Now that WHO has denounced testing in Africa, it’s unclear where and how quickly these trials will be tested for possible production and distribution. We’ll keep you posted on any coronavirus-related updates.
