Wednesday, June 29, 2022
  • About Us
  • ImagiNATION
  • Adverts
  • Rate Card
  • Contact Us
The Nation Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Columns Bottom Up

Local expertise can generate Covid-19 vaccine demand

by Levi Zeleza Manda
02/01/2021
in Bottom Up
3 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on LinkedinLinkedinShare via Email

Worldwide, 2020 was economically annus horribilis for many, especially the small enterprises and those that depend on odd jobs for their survival. The novel coronavirus disease or Covid-19 virtually shut down economies as government after government implemented lockdowns, lockups, shutdowns, and other restrictions on human movements to slow down the spread of the virus.  

However, the virus seemed uncontainable. Just one year later, World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics for December 2020 show that nearly 81 million inhabitants had been infected and 1.8 million had died. Picture all the residents of Lilongwe and Blantyre Cities dead because that is what 1.8 million deaths equal to in Malawi.

As we start 2021, some parts of the world are experiencing a second wave of Covid-19 infections. The emergence of a more vicious age-defying strain of the virus, first detected in the United Kingdom (UK says in South Africa), which has already spread to the USA and other countries has complicated matters.

However, there is hope that the pandemic will be tamed. The international pharmaceutical industry has not been sitting idle. Russia was the first to announce its Covid-19 vaccine termed Sputnik V. Russia and many other countries including Argentina are already vaccinating their people with Sputnik V. Second was the US-German pharmaceutical industries announcing the Pfizer-BionTech Vaccine, which the UK, EU and US are injecting into their citizens. The USA has another Covid-19 vaccine, Moderna, already cleared for emergency use. China’s Sinopharm has also produced China’ own Covid-19 vaccine. Oxford-AstraZeneca has also come up with the UK’s first vaccine. Iran is mass trialing its own home-grown vaccine.

The vaccines have different efficacy and effectiveness levels according to medical and scientific reviews.  So, when making approvals, national drug and vaccine clearance boards and virologists have to do their own reviews and make recommendations for their countries. In Malawi that responsibility falls on the Public Health Institute (Ministry of Health, Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, the Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board and to some extent, the Pesticides Control Board.

Unfortunately, the plethora of vaccines poses a challenge for Africa, and Malawi in particular. If China, for instance, decides to donate vaccines to Malawi, that country will not export Pfizer-BionTech, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca or Spunik V. China will send its Sinopharm vaccine, partly to economically support its pharmaceutical industry.  Africa, and Malawi in particular, will inject these Chinese vaccines into Malawians.  The Chinese or Russians are suspicious of US, EU and UK vaccines and vice versa.  

Luckily, there is Covax championed by Gavi, the WHO, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) to ensure equitable access of Covid-19 vaccines internationally.  Which or whose vaccines will Covax inject into Malawians?

Unless trusted local medical authorities are transparently involved in the choice of the vaccine to be administered in Malawi to Malawians, vaccine uptake will be an uphill task.  In the absence of a solid assurance—such as the President and religious leader leading in being vaccinated—of vaccine safety, Malawians are unlikely to readily accept to be vaccinated.

Previous Post

Malawi’s bundle of contradictions

Next Post

A toast to the New Year 2021

Related Posts

Bottom Up

When the private sector can’t breath

June 23, 2022
Bottom Up

Blame all malaise on Vladimir Putin

June 18, 2022
Bottom Up

Consider the role of the blue economy in development

June 11, 2022
Next Post

A toast to the New Year 2021

Opinions and Columns

People’s Tribunal

Two years later and we are still singing same song

June 26, 2022
Big Man Wamkulu

Wife’s relatives have taken over my house

June 26, 2022
My Thought

Stop cyber harassment

June 26, 2022
Candid Talk

Baby gender preference and disappointments

June 26, 2022

Malawi-Music.com Top10

Trending Stories

  • ACB cleared Sattar contract—Documents

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Britain squeezes Zuneth Sattar

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • MET says cold, wet weather will continue

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • K243bn Malawi trade deal on rocks

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mwanamvekha wants his case dismissed

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

  • Values
  • Our Philosophy
  • Editorial policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism disclaimer
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

© 2022 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation

© 2020 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.