The International Coalition Against Coronavirus, ICAC is urging African governments to be cautious when receiving Covid-19 vaccines, warning them to be on the lookout for rejects that may harm people.
The Coalition, which has chapters across southern, west and central Africa, said African governments must make sure these vaccines are authentic and would not result in dangerous side effects for Africans.
The organisation was also against the vaccine trials that took place in South Africa, which began its first trial on June 24.
ICAC’s President, Toure Moussa Zeguen, who is based in Togo said experts in developed countries monitoring the developments noted that the Covid-19 vaccines have expected side-effects, but these were of no cause for concern and noting the World Health Organisation, WHO, has debunked myths that one can be infected with Covid-19 from the vaccine.
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In an interview with newsmen, the third vice president of ICAC based in Zimbabwe, Max Mkandla said caution had to be practiced considering that pharmaceutical companies developed Covid-19 vaccines before the projected timelines.
Mkandla urged African leaders to first certify that the vaccines were safe for locals before rolling them out, while urging doctors, medical professors and security agencies in Africa to be on the lookout and prevent a sinister motive considering that less than a year was taken to come up with Covid-19 vaccines.
Reports say among the three vaccines for which efficacy results have been announced, almost all the available doses of two of them, developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech – the Covid-19 vaccines have already been acquired by rich countries, leaving 90 percent of the population in dozens of poorer countries likely to miss out on the vaccine next year.
Editor: Ena Agbanoma
