The World Health Organisation (WHO) has planned to set up a Messenger Ribonucleic acid (mRNA) Covid-19 vaccine hub in South Africa, according to the media. This will help poor and middle-income countries to learn how to produce the Covid-19 vaccine and also acquire a license for the same.
WHO stated that this tech transfer hub will make African companies begin manufacturing mRNA vaccines, an advanced technology currently used in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots, within nine to 12 months. Earlier, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, announced to increase access to vaccines across Africa, where the Covid-19 infections and deaths have increased by 40 percent over the past week.
Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna are the leading producers of Covid-19 vaccines using mRNA technology. South Africa’s Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines will be acting as the hub for manufacturing mRNA vaccines and providing training to a manufacturer Biovac.
Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, called this initiative a historic step to spread lifesaving technology. He told the media that it would change the narrative of Africa, a continent seen as a centre for disease and poor development. The significant advancement in the international effort to build vaccine development and manufacturing capacity will lead Africa on a path to self-determination.
Notably, South Africa is also conversing with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waiver intellectual property on Covid-19 vaccines. Ramaphosa expressed that populations in the developing countries are struggling for access to vaccines made in their billions in the North. Campaigners are also welcoming the move and urged the pharmaceutical companies to go further.