What It Would Take to Get A Covid-19 Vaccine to Africa

According to public health expert Evelyn Castle, the super-cold storage temperature required for the new vaccine will make it near impossible to deliver in rural parts of the continent. The vaccine must be kept at temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius (-94 F) or below - colder than the North Pole. In Nigeria, many rural health centres have solar-powered fridges, but Castle said they lack the power to hit -70°C. A new global assessment of purchasing agreements for COVID-19 vaccines reveals that high-income countries, as well as a few middle-income countries flush with manufacturing capacity, have already purchased nearly 3.8 billion doses, with options for another five billion.

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