COVID-19: Only 5 African Countries May Fully Vaccinate 40% Population By End of 2021- WHO Africa

A person is being administered with a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Photo credit: WHO Regional Office for Africa 

MANY African countries may be at the risk of COVID-19 infection as the majority of their population is yet to be vaccinated.

In a statement on Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa’s director, Matshidiso Moeti, stated that the continent is poorly covered in the vaccination campaign, noting that currently as it is, only five countries would meet the target of offering full vaccine, as recommended, to 40% of their populations against COVID-19 by end of 2021 if efforts to accelerate the inoculation exercise across the continent is not made.

Moeti disclosed that about 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered to Africa for the month of October, a quantity that is almost double of what was shipped into the continent in September.

He, however, said that with the current pace, the continent still “faces a 275 million shortfall of COVID-19 vaccines against the year-end target of fully vaccinating 40% of its people.”

The agency also revealed that currently there is a global scarcity of the special syringes used in administering the jab, adding that the supply shortfall would remain till the first quarter of 2022.

“Early next year COVID-19 vaccines will start pouring into Africa, but a scarcity of syringes could paralyse progress. Drastic measures must be taken to boost syringe production, fast,” Moeti said.

The WHO Africa’s director said there is an “imminent shortfall” of up to 2.2 billion disposable syringes globally needed which could slow the pace of COVID-19 vaccine dispensary exercise.

Reuters reported that only 77 million people, representing about just 6% of the continent’s population have been fully vaccinated.

According to Africa Centre for Disease Control, the total recorded cases of COVID-19  in Africa are almost 8.5 million, 218,000 deaths, and more than 7 million people who recovered from the disease.

Since the COVID-19 vaccination campaign began globally, there have been cases of inadequate supply to developing countries that are unable to produce the vaccines.