I expect many of you have heard the rumours concerning the covid-19. The most recent ones being that, the new vaccine should be tested on Africans. In today’s post (Clarity: VACCINE TESTING ON AFRICANS) I explain what’s actually happening;
THE RACE TOWARDS THE COVID19 VACCINE
Scientists all around the world are racing to develop a vaccine that will
possibly prevent the spread of the corona virus. The university of Oxford, has begun testing a vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. Hopefully, this could prepare the immune system to fight, if anyone comes into contact with the virus . They hope that this helps curb the symptoms.
Human testing trials have already begun in the USA ( Seattle and Emroy) and Australia. However, the vaccine could still take 12 to 18 months before it is ready to reach the rest of the world. Trials are currently being conducted on volunteers. All vaccines have risks. But, statistically speaking all of them are very much safer than the virus they prevent. No vaccine is going to be more dangerous than a disease with a 2–3% mortality rate like current covid-19 (corona virus)
WHAT WAS ACCTUALLY SAID ABOUT AFRICA?
On Wednesday April 8th 2020. Two highly respected French doctors appeared live on a French television channel (LCI). They discussed on how the Covid-19 vaccine, that is currently under development be tested in Africa first.
During the interview one of the doctors, Jean-Paul Mira was quoted saying “If I could be provocative, shouldn’t we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatment, no intensive care, rather as was done with certain studies on AIDS, where things are tested on prostitutes because it’s known that they are highly exposed (to HIV)?”.
The other doctor, Camille Locht, proceeded to respond by saying “You’re right, we are thinking in parallel by the way about a study in Africa with the same kind of approach, (but) it doesn’t prevent us from being able to think about a study in Europe and Australia at the same time.”
OKAY, SO WHAT?
When scientists conduct clinical trials, they try to find places where large numbers of people are affected or exposed to the virus. As this would be the most conjunctive environment for the new drug being tested. Yes, Africa may be the world’s poorest continent. However its people bear the least responsibility for spreading this virus..
Africa is the least affected by it. Therefore it would make more sense for the said trials to be conducted in the most affected areas like the Middle east, Europe and the United States. The only reason it made sense for the AIDS trials to be held in this continent ,was because it was the most affected by HIV. Which is not the case when it comes to COVID19. The comparison of Africans to prostitutes was also problematic. The statements made were not only provocative, they were also racist.
THE REAL ISSUE: VACCINE MISINFORMATION AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES
South Africa’s propaganda mill has been working overtime. Since the beginning of this pandemic, some say the presidents sold the country out while others claim that the corona virus was caused by 5G radiation. This is false. The most damaging one yet, is that there is a global plot to use Africans as guinea pigs for the vaccine trials. More so, that the vaccines are either killing people or they contain an electronic chip which will later be used to control its host.
If you ask me, it is utterly ridiculous. However, there are those who believe all this and have vowed not to take any kind of vaccine at any time. There is currently a movement against vaccine TESTING in Africa which I believe is a good one as it gives ordinary African citizens a voice and a refreshing sense of control over what happens to their continent.
But this movement has also sparked a wave of blind rebellion, where people have sworn off vaccines altogether. They have started creating their own unfounded conspiracy theories. The danger with that is there are very real risks of avoiding the FINAL AND APPROVED vaccine.
Vaccines are formulated to teach the body how to develop antibodies in order to fight a specific disease. When someone who is not vaccinated against a certain illness comes into contact with it. That illness will spread very quickly to any other non-vaccinated person they meet. This basically puts everyone who has not been vaccinated yet at risk e.g. new born babies and people who could not get the vaccine due to cancer medication or simply just weak immune systems etc.
CLARITY: VACCINE TESTING ON AFRICANS.
The truth is, not all rumours are based on fiction, but at the same time a lot of them are created in the wild imaginations of un-thoughtful conspiracy theorists. The responsibility then falls to us as the public to not be deluded by such rumours. Instead we should realize that they are forms of political propaganda. We need proactively educate ourselves so we don’t fall prey to such falsehoods.
I personally disagree with all this “testing the vaccine on Africans” Africa is not a lab, we are medically fit, They trynna use propaganda to get to us but it won’t work, we need to unite and stand as Africans to fight against the vaccine being tested on Africans, we all know that Italy and China were badly affected, they should test it on the two countries, #Africans unite against the Vaccine
I agree with the vaccines being tested in areas that have the most number of cases and that the right vaccines be distributed when and only when they work in those other continents. We are nobody’s lab rats and it’s time we are respected!
Thanks Madam Khanyi for your contribution your voice is heard.
Thanks for the contribution Mr John your voice will be heard