THE NEW YORK TIMES CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING27 Apr 2021 02:21
The African vacccine rollout
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Of the one billion shots given around the world, 82 percent have been given in high and middle income countries. Only 0.2 percent of doses have been administered in low income countries - pockets of infection that can produce variants that put us all in danger.
About 15 million people have received doses about 1 percent of the continent's population and only about 36 million have been acquired. Aside from the Seychelles and Morocco, no other African country has vaccinated more than 5 percent of its population.
The African union and Covax, a global vaccine sharing initiative, are the main actors working on the rollout, which has been painfully slow. And there's an issue. Covax plans tobsupply only a portion of what countries need. Kenya for example, hopes to vaccinate 30 percent of its population- nowhere near herd immunity - by 2023. And covax will only cover the first 20 percent. Kenya will need to pay 130 Mm USD to make up the rest.
Where do you even start to think they will get 130MM USD from .
Global histories of exploitation mean that no African country is as wealthy as as the Western nations that developed the vaccines. There are no major vaccine production facilities on the continent and Covax , which is meant to restore equality is failing to deliver.
Shipments are also woefully delayed , mainly because India, the worlds leading vaccine manufacturer, is restricting exports of doses in an effort to control its raging outbreak. Article continues discussing logistical issues and vaccine hesitancy.
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