Delays in Vaccine Rollout Put African Lives on Hold 

GENEVA - The World Health Organization warns delays in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccine to countries in Africa are putting lives at risk and threatening the continued spread of the coronavirus on the continent and across borders. To date, the WHO reports 4.7 million COVID-19 cases across Africa, including 127,000 deaths.

Shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to Africa slowed to a trickle earlier this month. Its main supplier, India’s Serum Institute, retained the doses to tackle a devastating surge of domestic cases.  That has essentially brought the rollout of the life-saving product across Africa to a screeching halt. So far, the WHO says only 24 million people in a continent of more than one billion have received at least one vaccine dose and 5.5 million have received two doses.  WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti deplores the inequities that exist between countries that have access to COVID-19 vaccine and those who do not.