COVID-19: the answer may come from Africa 

An African word, Ubuntu, should guide the world leaders as a principle to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement is part of the commentary “COVID-19 pandemic, R&D, vaccines, and the urgent need of UBUNTU practice”, published by The Lancet Regional Health – Americas in its first edition.

This Bantu language-derived African word reflects humanity and the interconnection amongst humans. As an example, the text highlights the urgency to settle alternative models for vaccine research, development (R&D), and production, guaranteeing its equitable access. Even though fast anti-Covid-19 vaccine development emerged, its access worldwide continues to be inequitable, in terms of economic and geographic distribution.

The commentary addresses other recommendations to tackle COVID-19, such as international cooperative programs in the region aiming at building up their health scientific and technological capacity, including production of drugs, active pharmaceuticals ingredients, essential health materials, diagnostic kits, equipment, together with sophisticated information and communication technologies; the incorporation of technologies for new vaccine production in regional productive arrangements, as well as integrating basic science, technology, and innovation to support independent technology capabilities. All this simultaneously to the investment in a regional Health Economical-Industrial Complex.  

Signed by ten Brazilian researchers, the commentary cites two institutions in the country, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and the Butantan Institute, that are engaged in technology transfer agreements to guarantee immediate access and sustainable self-sufficient national production of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, used by the Brazilian National Immunization Program with capacity to roll out massive vaccination campaigns. 

Accordingly, the commentary highlights the need of collective action, which should entail strengthening surveillance, monitoring, genomics, and a massive increase in R&D investments. “This must be a State Policy in each and all countries, and not fluctuate as a function of different administrations”, says the text.   

It also criticizes the establishment of export barriers, patent protection mechanisms in the pandemic context, as well as the restriction of technological transfer for producers in less developed countries. “The whole world must have equal access to vaccines and benefit of the transforming triad: education, science, and health, putting people first and leaving no one behind”. “I am because we are”, remembers the text.   

The authors  

Seven of the commentary's authors are from Fiocruz, including Foundation’s president, Nísia Trindade Lima. It is signed by Akira Homma, senior advisor at Bio-Manguinhos; Carlos Augusto Grabois Gadelha, coordinator of Center for Strategic Studies (CEE); Marco Aurélio Krieger, vice president of Production and Innovation; Beatriz de Castro Fialho, member of the executive board of Bio-Manguinhos; Marilda Siqueira, who leads the Respiratory and Measles Virus Laboratory of Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC); and Wilson Savino, a researcher at IOC and coordinator of Fiocruz Regional and National Integration Strategies. 

The commentary is also signed by Antônio Carlos Campos de Carvalho, professor at UFRJ and member of Brazilian Academy of Science; Cristiana Maria Toscano, professor at Federal University of Goiás and member of World Health Organization (WHO) vaccine expert committee; and Moisés Goldbaum, who holds a Ph.D. in Public Health from USP, where he is a supervisor in the Postgraduate Program in Preventive Medicine.