WHO aims to rollout mass vaccination campaigns in 10 African countries

It is one year since the vaccine dose sharing facility COVAX delivered the first COVID-19 vaccines to Africa and around 400 million doses have been administered.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says this is the region’s largest-ever vaccine rollout in a single year. The WHO, however, says Africa remains the continent with the lowest vaccination rates in the world.

Now, the WHO, together with UN Children’s Agency, UNICEF, and the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative, Gavi, will roll out mass vaccination campaigns in 10 priority countries to reach 100 million people by the end of April this year.

Discussion on the arrival on WHO’s COVAX facility in Southern Africa: 

During its weekly media briefing, the WHO regional office for Africa said so far, only 13% of Africans are fully vaccinated.

Eighteen countries have vaccinated less than 10% of their population and three have vaccinated less than 1%.

Twenty-nine countries have used less than 50% of their vaccine stock.

This is despite a steady supply of vaccines. The dose-sharing facility for poor nations, COVAX, has delivered 680 million doses in the past year.