ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dominated global health discourse since early 2020. By early 2021, the unprecedented speed of vaccine development against the severe acute respiratory syndrome… Click to show full abstract
ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dominated global health discourse since early 2020. By early 2021, the unprecedented speed of vaccine development against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by government, academia and industry contributed biotechnological tools to reduce severe COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. However, vaccine distribution has not been equitable. We address one element of this challenge, namely the low COVID-19 vaccination rates in African countries, which lag behind higher-income nations. We evaluate key obstacles to initiatives addressing this inequity and emphasize Africa-based research and development as a sustainable solution to ensuring vaccine equity in Africa.
               
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