African health official blasts ‘terrible’ vaccine inequality

The top public health official from Africa said It would be extremely terrible to see while African countries are without COVID-19 vaccines, rich countries are starting a new increase in the 1,3 billion-in-continent. 

With mass vaccinations starting worldwide in the UK, John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned on Thursday that after the second quarter of 2021 Africa could not see vaccines. 

The alliance’s study states that the rich countries have obtained adequate dosages, leaving some 67 poor countries with just one out of ten citizens in sufficient amounts to vaccinate their entire populations. 

COVID19 is not going to be defeated in the West alone, he said and aimed at the new dialogue of scepticism,’ because the rich countries have to buy vaccine ‘over and above their needs while in Africa, we still struggle with the COVAX facility.’ 

Nkengasong said that Africa will not receive almost enough COVAX vaccines to achieve the target of vaccination of 60% of the population in order to achieve herd immunity and that countries with surplus dose should be administered to COVAX or needy countries.