Coronavirus not humanity’s last tragedy, Ramaphosa warns
President Cyril Ramaphosa says Covid-19 pandemic is not the last tragedy which humanity will face.
He was addressing an African Union Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) virtual conference on Covid-19 on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa warned that Africa needs to be ready for the next pandemic.
"We need to maintain funding for medical research so that we may be ready for the next pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic is not the last tragedy that humanity will face, we need to develop centres of excellence and robust health systems capable of handling any threats.”
He said Africa needs to produce its own affordable and accessible vaccine.
"We should produce a roadmap that involves efforts by Africans to produce vaccines that are effective, safe and affordable.
“It is essential that there be significant local vaccine manufacturing on our continent, including Covid-19 and immunisation, should be sourced from African manufacturers.”