NAIROBI, Kenya
The World Health Organization reports Africa will fail to reach
the global target of vaccinating 10% of vulnerable populations against COVID-19
in every country by the end of September.People wait in stands to get vaccinated against COVID, at the Kololo airstrip in Kampala, Uganda, May 31, 2021.
WHO’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, blames the
situation on what she says is the hoarding of life-saving vaccines by the
world’s wealthier countries.
She notes African countries have received more than 143 million
doses and inoculated 39 million people, or less than 3% percent of the
continent’s population. This, she says, compares to more than 50% in the
European Union and United States.
“Equally concerning is the continuing inequity in the
distribution of doses. Africa accounts for just 2% of the over five billion
doses given globally. This percentage, I’m afraid, has not shifted in months…
If current trends hold, 42 of Africa’s 54 countries — nearly 80% — are set to
miss the September target, I’m afraid.”
A patient being treated at a makeshift hospital run by charity
organisation The Gift of the Givers, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
outbreak in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 10, 2021.WHO’s regional director for Africa,
Matshidiso Moeti
Africa’s third wave of the coronavirus peaked in July; however,
WHO reports 24 of Africa’s 54 countries are still reporting high or fast-rising
case numbers. The situation is particularly acute in west, central and east
Africa.
The latest WHO figures put the number of coronavirus infections
at nearly eight million, with more than 214,000 new cases reported this past
week. Of the 196,000 Africans who have died from this infection, more than
5,500 lost their lives last week.
Moeti says the pandemic is still raging on the continent, noting
every hour, 26 Africans die of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
She warns people must not let down their guard, as they remain at risk of
becoming severely ill or dying if vaccination rates remain low.
“With concerns about variants and political pressures driving
the introduction of booster shots and countries with high vaccination rates
expanding their rollouts to reach to lower-risk groups, our hope for global
vaccine equity is once again being challenged,” she said.
Moeti says she is encouraged the pace of vaccine shipments to
Africa is picking up but adds dose-sharing arrangements must continue to be
improved. She says international solidarity remains key to the global recovery
from this pandemic.
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