Who is vetting for us here in Canada? National Medical Association vetting vaccine process

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

One thing cannot be denied about this pandemic; people of African descent have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Now, I want readers to understand something; it’s not being of African descent that makes you more vulnerable, it is an accumulation of factors that have ensued due to centuries of systemic racism.

We could blame it on: discriminatory housing policies, unequal education and job opportunities that cause people to take on high-risk work, or housing situations that make it difficult to social distance. We are living in a society that has fostered conditions for certain minority groups, which now makes them more vulnerable to COVID-19. Now that we have been identified as being vulnerable, we are being put in line, as the first recipients for a vaccine that many scientists feel should not be rolled out in “Warp Speed.”

One of the people pushing this initiative is Mrs Melinda Gates. In a Time Magazine article, she states, “In the US, that would be black people next, quite honestly, and many other people of colour.” What she is referring to is who should get the vaccine first.

This has raised many concerns. Some people of colour have expressed their worry in response to her statement. Are we being used as guinea pigs again? A quick look into our history substantiates these concerns.

There is a complicated history that involves forced vaccinations and experiments being conducted on Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. It has undercut trust of medical procedures and immunization within black communities.

The first experiment that comes to mind is the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Doctors beginning in the 1930s left hundreds of black men untreated with syphilis for four decades to evaluate how the disease ravaged their body even after penicillin was developed. Of course, we are concerned. Why shouldn’t we be when this is just one of many stories.

Polls are now showing that Americans have increasingly expressed concern about a vaccine that is available within the year (Pew Research Centre). The trust of a first-generation COVID-19 vaccine is significantly less among black Americans compared to white or Hispanic people: Less than 30% of black people said they would be willing to take the vaccine, as opposed to 51% of white, and 56% of Hispanic people (Axios-Ipsos survey, August 2020).

On the CDC website, they admit that certain vaccines may not be right for everyone. The CDC advises that certain people not get specific vaccines, or to wait before getting vaccinated. This is because different vaccines contain different components, and each vaccine can affect you differently. Your age, health conditions, and other factors all combine to determine if you should get each vaccine. The difficulty with this is that many people are unaware of the factors that would make them susceptible to injuries from vaccines, simply because they have not done their research.

“More black voices are needed in science.”
Kevin M. Ileka (Harvard Business Review)

This statement was made in regard to two French scientists, who determined that trials for the effectiveness of a tuberculosis vaccine should take place in Africa. Mr Ileka’s words are part of the reason why a panel of African diasporic doctors will be responsible for vetting the federal review of companies’ vaccines.

Leon McDougle is the President of the largest and oldest group of black physicians in America (National Medical Association). The association has taken a stand and stated that if they don’t believe in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, it’s not moving forward.

The Food and Drug Administration and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, repeatedly assure the public that the vaccine being developed for COVID-19 is safe. They admit that while vaccine development can take years, researchers aren’t starting from scratch to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. They plan to use past research on SARS and MERS vaccines. Good news, right?

An article found on mayoclinic.org (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-vaccine/art-20484859), speaks on the fact that past research on vaccines for coronaviruses has identified some challenges:

Vaccine safety
When vaccines for SARS were tested on animals, most of the vaccines improved the animals’ survival but didn’t prevent infection. Some of the vaccines caused complications, such as lung damage. This indicates that a COVID-19 vaccine will need to be thoroughly tested to make sure it’s safe for humans. Making one at “Warp Speed,” could end up being a horrible idea. Don’t forget; black people should get it first.

Long-term protection
Just how effective is the vaccine going to be? Will it be able to protect for a long period of time? If so, how long? An effective COVID-19 vaccine will need to provide people with long-term infection protection.

Protecting older people
It is a well-known fact that people older than age fifty are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Aren’t they great candidates for that front spot in line for vaccinations? Hopefully not! It was discovered that older people usually don’t respond to vaccines as well as younger people.

There is so much to consider with this new COVID-19 vaccine. Although right now in Canada, I have not found any reports from African diasporic doctors moving towards this idea of vetting for the African community, I think that knowing that it is happening is a start. If there are any doctors who are looking into doing this, I would love to interview you. Feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts.