Even after two years of the pandemic, the needs of people in poorer countries, and Africans in particular, remain an afterthought for leading global health authorities. The US Food and Drug Administration’s recent tightening of restrictions on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is yet another example of this.
LONDON – The United States Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to limit the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to adults who cannot or will not get another vaccine will have profound consequences for African countries. The FDA said its move reflected the risk that the vaccine might cause a rare blood-clotting syndrome. But the decision shows that, even after two years of the pandemic, the needs of people in low- and middle-income countries, and Africans in particular, remain an afterthought for leading global health authorities.
LONDON – The United States Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to limit the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to adults who cannot or will not get another vaccine will have profound consequences for African countries. The FDA said its move reflected the risk that the vaccine might cause a rare blood-clotting syndrome. But the decision shows that, even after two years of the pandemic, the needs of people in low- and middle-income countries, and Africans in particular, remain an afterthought for leading global health authorities.