Drogba, Christian Atsu slam French doctors’ suggestions to test COVID-19 vaccine in Africa

Former Ivory Coast star, Didier Drogba and Ghanaian international, Christian Atsu have slammed suggestions by two medical professors in France to use Africa as a testing ground for a possible COVID-19 vaccine.

During a programme on French television station LCI, professor Jean-Paul Mira, head of the intensive care unit at Cochin hospital (Paris), and Professor Camille Locht, research director at Inserm suggested the effectiveness of the vaccine should be tested first in Africa😡😡😡😡 pic.twitter.com/xdHwW5C6cG

— Christian Atsu (@ChristianAtsu20) April 3, 2020

Both stars took to Twitter to vent their displeasure after the two doctors made the suggestion in an interview on French television station LCI.

“If I can be provocative, shouldn’t we do this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatment, no resuscitation, a bit like it has been done in some studies in AIDS, where among prostitutes, we try things, because they are exposed, and they don’t protect themselves, what do you think?” one of the doctors, Dr Jean-Paul Mira, said.

The other doctor, Dr. Camille Locht agreed: “So you are right[…]we’re thinking in parallel to a study in Africa precisely to make this same type of approach w/ BCG [vaccine]placebo.

“I think there is a call for tenders that were released or that will be released & I think we will indeed seriously think about that too.”

The suggestion from the French doctors did not go down well with Drogba and Atsu as they described the opinion as “deeply racist”.

“It is totally inconceivable we keep on cautioning this. Africa isn’t a testing lab. I would like to vividly denounce those demeaning, false and most of all deeply racists words. Helps us save Africa with the current ongoing Covid 19 and flatten the curve,” Drogba wrote.

It is totally inconceivable we keep on cautioning this.
Africa isn’t a testing lab.
I would like to vividly denounce those demeaning, false and most of all deeply racists words.

Helps us save Africa with the current ongoing COVID 19 and flatten the curve. pic.twitter.com/41GIpXaIYv

— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) April 2, 2020

They are not even ashamed of themselves. They want to test the new vaccine first in Africa.”

They are not even ashamed of themselves.
They want to test the new vaccine first in Africa 😡😡😡😡😡 pic.twitter.com/Gy3n2zWYaU

— Christian Atsu (@ChristianAtsu20) April 3, 2020