African countries try to boost local Covid-19 vaccine production as 99% is imported

African leaders say the continent must boost Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing, as 99% of vaccines used are imported, a strategy they consider “not valuable” when faced with a pandemic. In a meeting targeting coronavirus vaccination supply, African Union leaders want to bring that importation rate down to 40%. In order to boost production and vaccination, the head of WHO calls for laboratories to suspend medical patents during the pandemic.