WHO: 5.7bn COVID vaccines administered globally — but only 2% in Africa

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Africa got only two percent of the 5.7 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses administered globally.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, disclosed this at a press conference on COVID-19 and vaccine equity in Africa on Tuesday.

He said only two countries in Africa have reached the 40 percent vaccination target, which is the lowest of any continent.

“That’s not because African countries don’t have the capacity or experience to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. It’s because they’ve been left behind by the rest of the world,” he said.

“This leaves people at high risk of disease and death, exposed to a deadly virus against which many other people around the world enjoy protection.”

He explained that the longer vaccine inequity persists, the more the virus will keep circulating.

Ghebreyesus said the situation will increase the chances of more variants emerging and ultimately render vaccines less effective.

He called on countries to vaccinate at least 40 percent of their population by the end of 2021 to ensure that 70 percent of the world’s population gets vaccinated by the middle of 2022.