Africa has received 91 million COVID-19 vaccine doses so far. About 24 million people, just 1.7% of Africa’s population, are fully vaccinated. The continent needs up to 183 million more doses to fully vaccinate 10% of its population by the end of September and up to 729 million more doses to meet the end of year goal of fully vaccinating 30% of Africa’s population.
COVAX aims to deliver 520 million doses to Africa by the end of 2021. Almost 90 million of these doses have now been allocated to African countries and will be delivered by the end of September. The African Union also plans to deliver at least 16 million of the 400 million Johnson & Johnson doses it has sourced for African countries by the end of September.
“After a tough three months, we’re seeing more positive prospects in terms of vaccine shipments to Africa. Unsteady supplies are the main reason Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been slow, so as shipments ramp up it is crucial that African countries put comprehensive vaccination strategies in place to swiftly and efficiently protect the most vulnerable,” said Dr Atuhebwe.
WHO is at the forefront of Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, working to coordinate all efforts, giving policy and technical guidance and tailored support to African countries and helping share knowledge and best practices between African countries.
Dr Atuhebwe spoke during a virtual press conference today facilitated by APO Group. She was joined by Ms Joana Admiro, the Focal Person for Supplementary Immunization Activities, Ministry of Health, Angola. Also on hand to answer questions were Dr Fiona Braka, Team Lead, Emergency Operations, and Dr Gilson Paluku, Routine Immunization and New Vaccines Introduction Officer, WHO Regional Office for Africa.
