By the end of 2021, 620 million vaccines will land in African territories through the UN COVAX program. The jabs are a set of different types, with different storage and transport systems and administration requirements.
To boost this support, Gavi, the vaccine alliance, recently approved a further USD775 million to deliver vaccines to low-income countries and the World Bank will provide over USD4 billion to purchase and deploy vaccines to 25 African countries.
“It’s a huge and complex task, and it is crucial that we plan well, ensure resources are in place and keep documenting, learning and sharing lessons as we go. Countries must also share all relevant data with WHO, as we use it to allocate vaccines, track progress and tailor our support,” says Dr Phionah Atuhebwe, New Vaccines Introduction Officer with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa.
Africa has lagged behind the rest of the world in COVID-19 vaccines, accounting for just 1.6% of doses administered globally. Most countries in Africa are part of the international Covax vaccine-sharing scheme, but so far, only 19 countries have used more than 80% of Covax-supplied doses.
Most African countries do not have access, and can’t afford to buy large doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine due to poverty and social inequalities.
There have been at least 7 million cases of COVID-19 in Africa, as nations across the continent battle against a rise in Delta-driven infections, according to the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC ).
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