Africa CDC urges COVID-19 Vaccine donors to stagger deliveries of shots

*Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the COVID-19 Vaccine donors coordinate with the health regulatory agency so the new donations arrive the continent in a way that beneficiary countries can use them for vaccinations

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As a measure to prevent needless wastage of the essential vaccines against the virus, the African Union’s (AU) public health agency has urged COVID-19 Vaccine donors to help to ensure that the distribution of shots is aligned with take-up so that all of them are used.

ConsumerConnect gathered John Nkengasong, Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), who stated this in a webinar Thursday, February 24, 2022, said: “We have not asked them to pause the donations, but to coordinate with us so that the new donations arrive in a way so that countries can use them.

“This is very different from saying don’t donate at all.”

As governments in Africa, the least-vaccinated continent, are playing catch up to reach levels of coverage in other parts of the world, many have experienced difficulties getting needles into arms, agency report said.

Twenty-nine African countries, have used less than half of their available stocks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement issued Thursday, February 24, 2022.

COVAX, an initiative led by groups, including the WHO that has provided almost two-thirds of the shots shipped to Africa in the past year, says it has largely overcome the major supply problems it experienced 2021.

The continental health regulatory body said that deliveries to Africa under the programme increased more than 100 percent between November 2021 and January 2022.