3.7 billion vaccine doses have been injected into arms in a total of 214 countries and territories. But there are huge differences between continents.
Malta in Europe is at the top of the list of fully vaccinated, with almost 82 percent of the population.
At the other end is DR Congo. Here, zero percent are fully vaccinated. Congo has companies from many African countries in the lower part of the vaccination statistics, the overview shows Global Change Data Lab at the University of Oxford.
In summary: Just over one percent of the population in Africa’s 54 countries is fully vaccinated.
[ Kommentar: Noen er alltid tryggere enn andre, uansett hvor ille ute menneskeheten skulle være ]
Do not think goals will be reached
Three countries have not even started the vaccination campaign, Burundi, Eritrea and Tanzania, reports United States Office of Infectious Diseases, CDC.
John Nkengasong, director of the CDC, is depressed on behalf of African countries: It is almost unreasonable to reach the goal of vaccinating 60 percent of all Africans by the end of 2022.
But he has a sub-goal:
– We are very optimistic about vaccinating at least 25 percent before the turn of the year.
Must rely on donations
The main reason why African countries are lagging behind is twofold: They lack the means to buy a vaccine – and are therefore dependent on donations.
They have to rely on the international Covax program. Through the Covax collaboration, rich countries will share several billion vaccine doses with 92 low- and middle-income countries. But the majority, 1.8 billion doses, will not be distributed until 2022.
Norway has donated 1.7 million vaccines to Covax, and licensed NOK 1.3 billion for vaccine purchases.
[ Nå kan et legebesøk gjøre at du kun trenger én vaksinedose ]
Starts production in South Africa
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) says the African continent needs 200 million doses in the coming months if it is to be able to vaccinate ten percent of the population by September.
African countries now receive a helping hand from a South African company. The Biovac Institute in Cape Town will start production of the coronary vaccine for Pfizer and Biontech, states Pfizer. The project in South Africa is their first on the continent. The goal is to produce 100 million doses annually. But the first vaccines will not be ready until next year.
Give 1.5 million unit dose vaccines
While the WHO and Covax strive to vaccinate Africans, the world’s two leading economic powers are stepping up the fight for Africa’s favor.
Last week announced Beijing that China donates four million vaccine doses to African countries. China has long been a major power in Africa, and is developing particularly important infrastructure with a combination of generous gifts and cheap loans.
Now the US president responds to China’s vaccine push, write All Africa Report. Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that seven selected African countries will receive 1.5 million single-dose vaccines. All are from the manufacturer Johnsen & Johnsen.
The award takes place via Covax and goes to:
- Cameroon: 303,050.
- Lesotho: 302,400.
- Central African Republic: 302,400.
- Gambia: 151.200.
- Senegal: 151.200.
- Niger: 151.200.
- Zambia: 151.200.
[ Her øker dødstallene selv om smitten avtar ]
Gift without counterclaims
The Africa Report quotes an unnamed White House spokesman as saying that US vaccine donations to African countries come without a demand for compensation:
– We have one goal with the donations, to save lives. As the President has said: The United States will be the world’s vaccine arsenal in the fight against the virus.
To date, the United States has given and promised a total of 25 million vaccine doses to African countries. China has a total gift and promise of 27.9 million.
Gets from rivals
The Central African Republic, one of the world’s poorest and most exhausted countries, thus receives vaccines from both China and the United States. When the gift from China arrived in early July, Minister of Health Pierre Somse expressed great gratitude:
– Thanks to this donation, which came at the right time, the country is better equipped to fight the virus.
He will soon receive refills from the USA.
Global Change Data Labs overview shows that only one percent of the country’s inhabitants are fully vaccinated.
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Facts about the corona in Africa
- Africa has 54 countries, with a total population of 1.374 million.
- The continent is now in the third wave of infection.
- 160,000 people have died as a result of the pandemic.
- 6.3 million coronary heart disease have been detected.
(Source: WHO, CDC, GCDL)
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