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The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for equity in access to Covid-19 vaccines to expand reach in Africa.
The WHO said Thursday that if the vaccines had been issued under the global Covax partnership, current global supply constraints could mean that a critical proportion of people would go unvaccinated for months.
“While some high-income countries seek to immunize their entire population, many in Africa are struggling to adequately cover even their high-risk groups,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for ‘Africa.
“The acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines should not be a competition. Equitable access will benefit everyone, not just some of us, ”the statement added.
WHO calls for equity # COVID-19[FEMALE[FEMININE access to vaccines to expand reach #Africa. Africa urgently needs more supplies as deliveries start to slow down and initial batches are nearly sold out in some countries. https://t.co/OyPQnPCY3l
– WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) March 25, 2021
WHO said doses of the vaccine had yet to arrive in 10 African countries. So far, the continent has administered 7.7 million doses of the vaccine, he said.
He urged that efforts be made to ensure equity in vaccine distribution, including “strengthening local production to meet demand” on the continent and “promoting technology transfer and reducing barriers to Intellectual property”.
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