Nigeria has accepted to be part of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) solidarity trial of vaccines for coronavirus.
So far, more than 100 countries have joined the WHO solidarity trial for vaccine initiative.
The novel coronavirus, which was first recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected over three million people globally, killing some 239,000 others.
Nigeria has recorded 2,170 confirmed cases of the disease with 68 deaths and 351 recoveries.
The WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Fiona Braka has revealed that Nigeria wants to be part of ongoing vaccine trial.
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“Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trial and efforts are underway to start the process in Nigeria,” local media The Sun quoted Dr Braka as saying.
Dr Braka, who is also a member of the Nigeria’s Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19, said a total of 89 vaccines are being developed globally with seven undergoing clinical evaluation and “several therapeutics are in clinical trials.
“We do have the solidarity trial which is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for Covid-19, launched by the WHO and partners.”
Countries join solidarity trial
More than 100 countries have joined the solidarity trial and to date, over 1, 200 patients have been randomized from the first five countries to evaluate the safety and efficacy of full drug and drug combinations,” she said.
Following the declaration of the novel coronavirus as a global pandemic, the WHO launched various working groups to accelerate various aspects of vaccine development.
Together with global health actors and partners, it launched the Access to Covid-19 Tools ACT Accelerator, a global collaboration to accelerate development for equitable access to new Covid-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines over the past weeks.
Nigeria’s acceptance to join the solidarity vaccine trials comes days after the WHO denied claims of vaccines developed for the COVID-19 in the country.
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“WHO is not aware of vaccine for COVID-19 in Nigeria,” Dr Bakra told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Last month WHO declared that Africa would not be a testing ground for any vaccine, slamming two French scientists who called for coronavirus vaccine to be tested first in Africa.
The director general of the WHO, Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the calls from the French scientists as “racist.”
“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,” he said.
Meanwhile Kenya has also expressed the desire to review any possible request to have Covid-19 vaccine testing done among its citizens.