French Doctors Catch Heat For Saying Africans Should Be COVID-19 Test Subjects

Citizens from all over Africa voiced their ire on social media after two prominent French doctors made incendiary comments. On Wednesday, doctors Jean-Paul Mira and Camille Locht appeared on LCI, a channel on French television. While discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, Mira, who is the head of the ICU at the Cochin Hospital in Paris, suggested that researchers should set up shop in Africa and use Africans as test subjects.

"If I can be provocative, shouldn't we do this study in Africa where there are no masks, no treatment, no intensive care?" Mira asked. "A bit like we did in some studies on AIDS. We tried things on prostitutes because they are highly exposed and do not protect themselves." Locht, who boasts the title of research director at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, agreed.

"You are right. We are actually thinking of a parallel study in Africa to use with the same kind of approach with BCG placebos," Locht added, reportedly referring to vaccination against tuberculosis. Unsurprisingly, the backlash was swift from African citizens from all backgrounds. People weren't just angered, they saw the comments as a frightening take on how the "Western World" continues to view African people, their culture, and their country as disposable. You can see a clip of the broadcast above and few responses to the controversy below.

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