My opinion is that the doctors did not say anything that was racist or objectionable.
dorian said
11:08 AM Apr 7, 2020
No takers? Here is my view of the story.
-----------------------------------
What did the doctors say?
During a debate on French TV channel LCI, Camille Locht, head of research at Inserm health research group, was talking about a vaccine trial in Europe and Australia.
Jean-Paul Mira, head of intensive care at Cochin hospital in Paris, then said: "If I can be provocative, shouldn't we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatments, no resuscitation?
"A bit like it is done elsewhere for some studies on Aids. In prostitutes, we try things because we know that they are highly exposed and that they do not protect themselves."
Mr Locht nodded in agreement at this suggestion, and said: "You are right. We are in the process of thinking about a study in parallel in Africa."
Dr Mira had earlier questioned whether the study would work as planned on healthcare workers in Australia and Europe because they had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) while working.
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The main thing I notice is that the doctors are "thinking about a study in parallel in Africa". This means that Africans would be subjected to the same human trials as the "planned [trials] on healthcare workers in Australia and Europe". The doctors are not treating Africans as "guinea pigs". The actual guinea pigs were the ferrets which received the vaccine during the initial phase. Once it is proven that the vaccine is safe in these animals, only then do human trials begin. Clearly our health workers are a precious and scarce resource, so if we think it is safe to test the vaccine on them, then we cannot be accused of exploitation and discrimination against the general population.
Moreover, Africa is a third world continent with underdeveloped health care systems and rampant HIV infection rates and military conflicts. For example, the HIV infection rate in South Africa is around 18%. Clearly there are massive societal differences between Africa and Europe, and social distancing and lockdowns are unlikely to work in Africa as they have in Europe. This means that we will have two distinct real world scenarios which would more accurately tell us whether the vaccine is working. As the doctor explained, we are less likely to obtain useful data from heavily protected health care workers than we will from a populace that doesn't protect itself.
If a vaccine trial were made available to me, I would gladly participate.
-- Edited by dorian on Tuesday 7th of April 2020 11:17:41 AM
iana said
07:57 AM Apr 8, 2020
You are right, the sooner a vaccine is out there the better. The media get hold of things and twist the wording to create a story. My daughter is working on the front line, I would like to see a vaccine for her.
dorian said
12:24 PM Apr 9, 2020
ISTM that the doctors should be vindicated.
Coronavirus in Africa: Emergency laws v individual rights:
Armed variously with guns, whips and tear gas canisters, security officers in several African countries have been beating, harassing and, in some cases, killing people as they enforce measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19.
. . .
While in South Africa, which has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the continent, at least eight people have been killed by police since a nationwide lockdown was imposed on 26 March, the country's Independent Police Investigative Directorate said.
. . .
Nearly all countries on the continent are battling the spread of coronavirus, and with confirmed cases surpassing 10,000, there are legitimate reasons to be worried about the disease.
Most have poor healthcare systems that could be overwhelmed, resulting in an unprecedented health disaster.
However, global watchdog Freedom House has warned that some measures being used to fight Covid-19 could have lasting "harmful effects and can be extended and re-purposed after a crisis has passed".
Coronavirus: Africa will not be testing ground for vaccine, says WHO:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52192184
My opinion is that the doctors did not say anything that was racist or objectionable.
No takers? Here is my view of the story.
-----------------------------------
What did the doctors say?
During a debate on French TV channel LCI, Camille Locht, head of research at Inserm health research group, was talking about a vaccine trial in Europe and Australia.
Jean-Paul Mira, head of intensive care at Cochin hospital in Paris, then said: "If I can be provocative, shouldn't we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatments, no resuscitation?
"A bit like it is done elsewhere for some studies on Aids. In prostitutes, we try things because we know that they are highly exposed and that they do not protect themselves."
Mr Locht nodded in agreement at this suggestion, and said: "You are right. We are in the process of thinking about a study in parallel in Africa."
Dr Mira had earlier questioned whether the study would work as planned on healthcare workers in Australia and Europe because they had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) while working.
-----------------------------------
The main thing I notice is that the doctors are "thinking about a study in parallel in Africa". This means that Africans would be subjected to the same human trials as the "planned [trials] on healthcare workers in Australia and Europe". The doctors are not treating Africans as "guinea pigs". The actual guinea pigs were the ferrets which received the vaccine during the initial phase. Once it is proven that the vaccine is safe in these animals, only then do human trials begin. Clearly our health workers are a precious and scarce resource, so if we think it is safe to test the vaccine on them, then we cannot be accused of exploitation and discrimination against the general population.
Moreover, Africa is a third world continent with underdeveloped health care systems and rampant HIV infection rates and military conflicts. For example, the HIV infection rate in South Africa is around 18%. Clearly there are massive societal differences between Africa and Europe, and social distancing and lockdowns are unlikely to work in Africa as they have in Europe. This means that we will have two distinct real world scenarios which would more accurately tell us whether the vaccine is working. As the doctor explained, we are less likely to obtain useful data from heavily protected health care workers than we will from a populace that doesn't protect itself.
If a vaccine trial were made available to me, I would gladly participate.
-- Edited by dorian on Tuesday 7th of April 2020 11:17:41 AM
ISTM that the doctors should be vindicated.
Coronavirus in Africa: Emergency laws v individual rights:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52214740
Armed variously with guns, whips and tear gas canisters, security officers in several African countries have been beating, harassing and, in some cases, killing people as they enforce measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19.
. . .
While in South Africa, which has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the continent, at least eight people have been killed by police since a nationwide lockdown was imposed on 26 March, the country's Independent Police Investigative Directorate said.
. . .
Nearly all countries on the continent are battling the spread of coronavirus, and with confirmed cases surpassing 10,000, there are legitimate reasons to be worried about the disease.
Most have poor healthcare systems that could be overwhelmed, resulting in an unprecedented health disaster.
However, global watchdog Freedom House has warned that some measures being used to fight Covid-19 could have lasting "harmful effects and can be extended and re-purposed after a crisis has passed".