The supply of vaccines to Africa has significantly risen in order to ramp up the vaccination process in the continent. Although, the continent struggles to increase the rollout as only 11% of the total population is completely vaccinated.
It has been reported that to achieve the target of vaccinating nearly 70% of the African population till the mid of this year, the continent needs to increase the vaccination rate six-fold.
In this regard, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Red Cross, and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) along with other partners are launching a new drive to resolve bottlenecks.
Till date, the continent has received around 587 million doses of vaccines, out of which 58% are from COVAX Facility, 6% from African Vaccines Acquisition Trust (AVAT), and 36% from bilateral deals. Furthermore, in January 2022, Africa received 96 million doses of vaccines, easing the vaccine crunch and turning the spotlight to the other nations to speed up their vaccination process.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stated that the continent has finally received the required amount of vaccine doses. However, in an attempt to move vaccines out of the storage and to the people, a dependable pipeline must be ensured.
Moeti added that World Health Organization, along with the other partners are working together with countries that are facing operational challenges such as speeding up the vaccination process, save lives, and fight against the pandemic.
As per credible reports, the average weekly vaccination rate in Africa is around 6 million, which needs to surpass 36 million to meet the 70% target of vaccination.
Imperatively, Seychelles and Mauritius have already reached the 70% vaccination target, along with seven of the African countries boasting 40% rate of vaccination. But the vaccination rates on the continent persist to be low.
Source Credits:- https://www.afro.who.int/news/africa-needs-ramp-covid-19-vaccination-six-fold