‘Africa needs vaccines now,’ WHO regional director urges the international community

Africa is desperately needing 20 million second-dose vaccines for those who received the first dose, in order for the Covid-19 vaccination to be effective, The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.

CAPE TOWN, May 27 (ANA) – Africa desperately needs 20 million second-dose vaccines for those who received the first dose, for the Covid-19 vaccination to be effective, The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said in a statement.

On Thursday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a statement has highlighted the urgency of acquiring the vaccine as the prescribed interval between dose one and dose two is coming to an end.

Dose one of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine provides 70 percent protection to Covid-19 for up to 12 weeks, with the second dose providing 81 percent protection for an extended period of time. The WHO does not say specifically for how long the full course of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will offer protection from Covid-19.

Furthermore, the goal of reaching a vaccination of 10 percent of the population on the African continent by September 2021 can only be achieved if a further 200 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are received.

“Africa needs vaccines now. Any pause in our vaccination campaigns will lead to lost lives and lost hope,” WHO African Regional Director Dr Matshidiso Moeti said.

“It’s too soon to tell if Africa is on the cusp of a third wave. However, we know that cases are rising, and the clock is ticking so we urgently appeal to countries that have vaccinated their high-risk groups to speed up the dose-sharing to fully protect the most vulnerable people,” she said.

Only 28 million doses of WHO Emergency Use Listed Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Africa.

1,369,344,669 is the current population figure for Africa, and accounts for nearly 17 percent of the global population, according to Worldometer.

4,832,429 is the number of confirmed cases in Africa as of May 27, with 129,656 related deaths.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Naomi Mackay