World Health Organisation (WHO) director says the world needs global solidarity to overcome the Covid-19 challenge as he advised countries against hoarding vaccines.
China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States have all developed Covid vaccines.
It is understood that over 40 million vaccine doses have been administered in mostly wealthy countries since December 2020.
But middle- and lower-income countries are lagging far behind, and according to a new study, hoarding Covid-19 vaccines could cost wealthy countries at least $4.5trillion in lost income this year.
Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda have reported the highest number of new cases, accounting for 90 percent of all the infections in Africa.
Africa has surpassed three million confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, with more than 1.2 million in South Africa.
‘Africa is facing a second wave in the Covid-19 pandemic with more than 3.3 million cases and 81,000 lives sadly lost’, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, at a presser.
He also said, ‘Vaccine hoarding by countries will only prolong the ordeal and delay recovery for Africa and also for the whole world.
‘It would be deeply unjust if the most vulnerable Africans were forced to wait for vaccines while lower-risk population subgroups in wealthier countries are made safe.
‘Only through global solidarity will we end this pandemic’.
WHO had called for a full commitment to COVAX – the global vaccine-sharing scheme.
Speaking at a WHO executive board session, the health organisation’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said it was not fair for younger, healthy people in richer nations to get injections before vulnerable people in poorer countries.
‘I need to be blunt: the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure – and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries’, he said.
It is understood that more than 180 countries have so far signed up to the COVAX initiative.
Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) has purchased 270 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines for the continent from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, through the Serum Institute of India, and Johnson and Johnson.
The AU Chairman, President Cyril Ramaphosa, said at least 50 million of the doses will be available in the months of April to June and the rest will be delivered before the end of 2021.
The purchase agreements, according to the continental body, were negotiated by the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team established by the African Union.
Source: WHO
Photo source: Maryland GovPics
