A suggestion by two French doctors that a potential vaccine for coronavirus should first be tested on people in Africa has raised the hackles of many Africans.
The comments were made on the French television channel, LCI, during a discussion on Wednesday about COVID-19 trials set to be launched in Europe and Australia to see if the BCG tuberculosis vaccine could be used to treat the virus.
“Africa isn’t a testing lab,” Ivorian professional football player Didier Drogba, who used to play for Chelsea, wrote on Twitter. “I would like to vividly denounce those demeaning, false and most of all deeply racist words.”
In Ghana celebrities like Okyeame Kwame, Barima Sidney and Efia Odo have also spoken against it.
In a tweet, Okyeame Kwame wrote that he is not sure the President Nana Akufo-Addo would approve this if proposals come through that the vaccines be tested in Africa.
“@NAkufoAddo will never allow this. I think this is a brain fart. No president in his right frame of mind will allow this experiment. Knowing clearly what Alexandra did in Ancient Kmt, transatlantic slave trade and neo-colonialism. Italy needs it more,” he tweeted.
@NAkufoAddo will never allow this. I think this is a brain fart. No president in his right frame of mind will allow this experiment. Knowing clearly what Alexandra did in Ancient Kmt, transatlantic slave trade and neo-colonialism. Italy needs it more . Thanks pic.twitter.com/VMeWRZXZg1
— ARTIVIST (@Okyeamekwame) April 4, 2020
Coronavirus, since its outbreak has decimated thousands of lives and has rendered economies moribund.
Currently in Ghana, there have been a recorded number of 214 infected people.
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By: ghanaweekend.com
