If those who have had their first shot of the AstraZeneca Vaccine are to get the second shot at the appointed time, then Africa would need at laest 20million doses of the vaccine.
The World Health Organisation’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti painted an urgent picture saying,
“Africa needs vaccines now. Any pause in our vaccination campaigns will lead to lost lives and lost hope.”
The WHO statement underlined the importance of respecting the recommended interval of eight to 12 weeks between doses to ensure a recipient’s prolonged 81-percent protection rate.
“In addition to this urgent need, another 200million doses of any WHO Emergency Use listed COVID-19 Vaccine are needed so that the continent can vaccinate 10% of its population by September 2021,” the statement added.
It should be noted that the official figures show that as at May 26, Africa had registered more than 4.7million cases of coronavirus with nearly 130,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
Source: AFP
