Covid-19 Vaccination Roll-Out Stagnates in Africa - WHO

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Covid-19 vaccination coverage has stagnated in half of African countries, while the number of doses administered monthly declined by over 50% between July and September. Although Africa is far from reaching the year-end global target of protecting 70% of the population, modest progress has been made in vaccinating high-risk population groups, particularly the elderly.

"The end of the Covid-19 pandemic is within sight, but as long as Africa lags far behind the rest of the world in reaching widespread protection, there is a dangerous gap which the virus can exploit to come roaring back," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. "The biggest priority is to shield our most vulnerable populations from the worst effects of COVID-19. On this front, we are seeing some progress as countries step up efforts to boost coverage among health workers, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems."