With the new doses, on top of the 270 million doses announced earlier this month from
An Africa
Parts of the African continent are seeing a strong resurgence in coronavirus infections, which Nkengasong called “very aggressive.” He warned that the wave has not yet peaked.
Africa’s case fatality rate of 2.5% remains above the global one of 2.2%, and 14 of Africa’s 54 countries have case fatality rates above 3%. The continent has more than 3.4 million confirmed virus cases, including more than 87,000 deaths.
The continent of 1.3 billion people is racing to obtain enough vaccines for the goal of vaccinating 60% of its population to achieve herd immunity, and officials have repeatedly urged rich countries that have stockpiled vaccine doses to take an equitable approach and share.
The first of those doses should roll out in
As for the 270 million doses announced earlier, “we know very well some of these doses will not be available soon,” Mihigo said. He did not give details.
He said that overall, reaching 35% of Africa’s population with COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this year could be a “realistic assumption.”
Mihigo also criticized the global differences in cost for COVID-19 vaccines.
It is a “shocking fact that a rich country can pay less than a country that is struggling,” he said, pointing out that higher-income African countries like
The
The variant has spread quickly beyond
Now the variant has been found in
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