WHO continues to help African countries in fighting Covid-19
The WHO Regional Office for Africa said that with limited supplies and delays in vaccine shipment, it is important for Africa to develop its own vaccine manufacturing capacity.
CAPE TOWN, April 20 (ANA) – The World Health Organization is helping African countries improve their regulatory processes for approving vaccines and other drugs, the China Daily reported on Tuesday.
It quoted WHO regional director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti as saying doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 drug had been delivered to 36 countries under COVAX, a vaccine procurement platform co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and WHO in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund.
“To significantly slow down Covid-19 we must avert serious illness, hospitalisation and death,” Moeti told an online news conference. “Every vaccine shot given moves us a step closer to ending this pandemic.”
According to China Daily, representatives of regulatory agencies from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania participated in an event on Friday in which WHO experts shared insights on the assessments for three of the vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorisation for Covid-19.
WHO is working closely with countries to manage potential risks, Moeti said.
“Covid-19 vaccine access remains starkly unequal across the world. In high-income countries, one in four people on average has received a Covid-19 vaccine compared with just one in 500 in lower-income countries,” she said.
The WHO regional office said with limited supplies and delays in vaccine shipment, it was important for Africa to develop its own vaccine manufacturing capacity.
The continent is home to 16 percent of the world’s population but produces just 0.1 percent of vaccines. African countries that largely rely on imports are particularly vulnerable to delays in accessing essential supplies during the pandemic.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent has recorded more than 4.3 million Covid-19 infections.
Over the past month, new cases have jumped by 50 percent or more in 13 countries including Angola, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia.
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa