According to World Health Organisation, the third wave of COVID-19 infections in Africa has stabilised as the continent’s slow vaccination has picked up. The figure of new cases has gone down to some 248,000 compared to 282,000 in mid-July, while the number of vaccinations tripled to 13 million. This information has been given by Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director, in an online news conference.
When Africa, with a population of 1.3 billion, was having a third wave of infections since May, with straining health systems in countries from South Africa to Tunisia, Zambia and Senegal, at a time where vaccination rates are far lower than in Europe and North America.
COVAX – the donor scheme co-led by the WHO to purchase vaccines for poorer countries – initially hoped to vaccinate 20% of people in Africa this year, but it has been plagued by delays. The WHO now hopes to vaccinate 10% of people in Africa by the end of September, Moeti said. The good news now is “117 million doses are due to arrive in the coming month and up to 34 million additional doses will be needed to reach that target,” she said.
