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Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has called for a resolution to vaccine inequity in order to ensure access to Covid-19 vaccines for all.
Speaking during the 74th World Health Assembly also called on nations to desist from engaging in discriminatory conduct and accept all valid certificates for Covid-19 vaccines approved by World Health Organisation(WHO) for emergency use.
“We must step up regional and local manufacturing of vaccines by facilitating and fast tracking regulatory and prequalification for local production, especially in Africa in WHO processes,” he said.
He asked member states to ensure sharing of Intellectual Property Rights with countries to allow for the development of local capacity in vaccine development.
According to Kagwe, there is a need to re-evaluate ownership of IP Rights to reflect the true participation in creating the same.
“Too often, research results and trials conducted in Africa are assumed to be the property of some participants instead of all participants.” Kagwe said.
He noted that appreciating the fact that none is safe until we are all safe must mean that to vaccinate generally safe 13-year-olds in one country while denying high-risk adults access to the vaccine in another country is a damning contradiction of this principle.
“Member states should step up regional and local manufacturing of vaccines by facilitating and fast tracking regulatory and prequalification for local production, especially in Africa in WHO processes,” he said.
Further, he coordinate technology and knowledge transfer on new Covid-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics in all parts of the world with WHO assistance.
He acknowledged the recent announcement of additional vaccines to the COVAX facility and urged that monies intended for the acquisition of AstraZeneca vaccine will be diverted to cater for the acquisition of the added vaccines and contribute to the budgetary relief of developing and middle income countries as earlier intended.
The 74th World Health Assembly was convened more than a year since the Covid-19 outbreak was designated by WHO as a pandemic.
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