1. Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout and Human Rights Ramifications in Africa: Balancing the Onus to Protect the Right to Health and the Freedom of Conscience in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
- Author
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Mugari, Ishmael and Obioha, Emeka E.
- Subjects
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RIGHT to health , *LIBERTY of conscience , *COVID-19 vaccines , *HUMAN rights , *CITIZENS , *HUMAN rights advocacy - Abstract
Given the socioeconomic and health security ramifications of the COVID-19 sickness since the beginning of the year 2020, the discovery of vaccinations has been a huge breakthrough. The international community and national governments' common commitment to preserve citizens' right to the greatest attainable health standards have fuelled the urgent need for vaccine development. Even though any COVID-19 vaccination should be seen as a global public good, the African continent has lagged in the dissemination of COVID-19 vaccines. The human rights implications of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out on the African continent are examined in this research, which is based on secondary data sources and focuses on Zimbabwe and South Africa, two neighbouring Southern African countries. The research demonstrates that the African continent is confronted with a slew of concerns, including vaccine accessibility, price, and transparency. The paper also reveals a conflict that has arisen between governments' recommendations that everyone is vaccinated to protect all members of society and the freedom of some members of society to interpret the vaccine through the lens of their religious and cultural beliefs, including their freedom to express their beliefs and choose whether or not to be vaccinated. This circumstance is providing and will continue to pose a significant challenge for African governments in their efforts to implement mass immunization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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