"Africa is in the midst of a full blown third wave. The sobering trajectory of surging cases should rouse everyone into urgent action. We've seen in India and elsewhere just how quickly COVID-19 can rebound and overwhelm health systems. So public health measures must be scaled up fast to find, test, isolate and care for patients and to quickly trace their contacts," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded the initiative, saying it has the potential to bridge the vaccine gap. "The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the full extent of the vaccine gap between developed and developing economies, and how that gap can severely undermine global health security. This landmark initiative is a major advance in the international effort to build vaccine development and manufacturing capacity that will put Africa on a path to self determination. South Africa welcomes the opportunity to host a vaccine technology transfer hub and to build on the capacity and expertise that already exists on the continent to contribute to this effort," said Ramaphosa.
If all goes according to plan, the initiative will go a long way in helping Africa address the inequalities caused by a lack of vaccines.
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