16 September,2021 08:23 AM IST | Geneva | Agencies
Demonstrators chant slogans as they hold up banners and placards during a protest march against COVID-19 vaccinations and wearing of masks, in Pretoria. Pic/AFP
Africa has been "left behind by the rest of the world" as only two per cent of the more than 5.7 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses administered globally have been administered there, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said, warning the world against vaccine inequity.
The WHO's aim is to vaccinate at least 40 per cent of the population of every country by the end of this year and 70 per cent by the middle of next year. However, only two countries in Africa have reached the 40-per cent target, the lowest of any region, Xinhua news agency quoted WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as saying.
"That's not because African countries don't have the capacity or experience to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. It's because they have been left behind by the rest of the
world," he said.
Last year, the WHO and its partners launched COVAX, the global initiative to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. To date, it has delivered more than 260 million vaccine doses to 141 countries.
However, COVAX has also faced several challenges which, according to the WHO, were triggered by manufacturers prioritising bilateral deals and many high-income countries tying up the global supply of vaccines.
According to John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who also attended the briefing, less than 3.5 per cent of Africans have been vaccinated against COVID-19, which is far short of the official target of 60 per cent.
"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," Tedros said.
Health care workers in France face suspension from their jobs starting Wednesday if they haven't been vaccinated against COVID-19. With about 300,000 workers still not vaccinated, some hospitals fear staff shortages will add to their strain. Vaccines are now compulsory for medical care, home care and emergency workers in France, and Wednesday is the deadline for such staff to have had at least one shot.
The European Union is committing 200 million more Coronavirus vaccine doses to Africa to help curb the pandemic on a global scale. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the new donation to be fully delivered by the middle of next year comes on top of 250 million already pledged and underscores the EU resolve to boost the challenge low-income nations are facing. Von der Leyen called it an "investment in solidarity and it is an investment also in global health."
Canada has reported 3,955 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 1,555,121 with 27,262 deaths, according to local media. Canada's total COVID-19 cases surpassed 1.5 million on September 1. Meanwhile, Alberta, a province with a population of 4.4 million, reported 1,434 new cases and nine fatalities on Tuesday. The province now has 18,265 active cases and 822 hospitalisations, including 212 ICU admissions, the Xinhua news agency reported.
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