A.frika is falling further and further behind when it comes to vaccination against Covid-19. While, according to the European External Action Service (EAD), around 43 percent of the world’s population have now been fully vaccinated (first series of vaccinations), the proportion in Africa is only 7 percent. In order to achieve the UN target of vaccinating 70 percent of the world’s population by September next year, urgent progress must be made there, an EU official said on Wednesday. He referred to the lack of infrastructure, the slow approval of vaccines and a high level of vaccination skepticism among the population.
It is therefore not due to the number of vaccines produced and donated that the continent has such a low vaccination rate. According to its own statements, the European Union has donated 353 million doses of vaccine to poor countries that cannot afford the vaccine; most are distributed through the Covax global vaccine initiative and go to Africa. However, only 118 million vaccine doses have actually been delivered so far, or around a third. According to the figures of the EEAS, the balance of other donors is no better. The United States, for example, promised 1.1 billion cans, but delivered only a quarter of them. And of the 600 million cans that China promised Africa, only 80 million made it there.
Lack of infrastructure and vaccination skepticism
Some of the delays are related to contract negotiations on the donor side. The EU had to conclude contracts for the supply of vaccines to third parties with every manufacturer and with Covax. It was mainly about liability issues. An EU official highlighted on Wednesday that “we weren’t the ones who were the most difficult”. Instead, he referred to the public-private company Gavi, the main sponsor of the Covax initiative. All negotiations have now been concluded.
The delays in Africa have several reasons, with the situation in the states diverging widely. While more than sixty percent of the population in Morocco and 25 percent in South Africa are fully vaccinated, Ethiopia brings up the rear with just one percent – which is also related to the civil war there.
In some cases, the states have not yet approved the vaccines. In addition, in many places there is a lack of basic health care to administer vaccines. This also applies to the professional storage and maintenance of cold chains for sensitive vaccines. “The most difficult point is vaccination skepticism in some countries,” said the EU official, saying that it is being promoted by local as well as external media.
In contrast, other parts of the global south that lagged behind in summer have caught up in vaccination. In Asia, for example, 49 percent of the total population has now been fully vaccinated, and in South America as much as 58 percent. The vaccination rates in North and Central America and Oceania are each 55 percent. In Europe as a whole it is 58 percent, only 67 percent in the EU.
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