The WHO says the lack of a vaccine in Africa could set the world back
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said Africa is facing a shortfall of 470 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine this year, after Covax's global plan reduced its cargo estimates, raising concerns about new strains and risks of the virus.
The WHO unit on the continent said at a weekly meeting in Brazzaville yesterday that only 17 percent of the continent's population would be vaccinated by the end of this year, compared to the 40 percent target set by WHO.
WHO Africa Africa Director, Matshidiso Moeti, said inequality and poor access to vaccines threaten to turn Africa into a virus-free environment. Due to global shortages, the Covax program will ship around less than 150 million doses than planned. The reduction in vaccination targets comes as Africa surpasses eight million infections this week, the WHO said.
