WHO Says Africa Needs At Least 20 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses In the Next Six Weeks

According to the World Health Organization, Africa needs at least 20 million doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine in the next six weeks.

For the continent to vaccinate at least 10% of its population by September, another 200 million doses of vaccine(WHO emergency use-listed Covid-19 vaccine) is urgently required.

The EU meanwhile, has promised to send 100 million doses to low-income countries by the end of 2021, and the United States has also pledged 80 million.

On Thursday, the WHO announced that Africa needs at least 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to get the second round of shots to those who already have received the first shot, and this has to be in the timeframe of 6 weeks.

It has been proven that a single dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine is up to 70% effective against the virus for a timeframe of at least 12 weeks, but a second dose is required to provide 81% protection against COVID for a longer period of time, according to the world health body. Antibodies have been observed in the system for as long as six months after a single dose.

For Africa to reach its goal of having at least 10% of its population vaccinated by September, 200 million more doses are needed. So far, 28 million Covid-19 doses from different drugmakers have been used on the continent, which has reached about 1.4 billion people, representing less than two doses per 100 people. To compare, over 165 million people in the United States have gotten at least a single vaccine dose, which is equivalent to about half of the entire country's population, according to the CDC.

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, who's the WHO regional director for Africa, said,

"Africa needs vaccines now. Any pause in our vaccination campaigns will lead to lost lives and lost hope. We urgently appeal to countries that have vaccinated their high-risk groups to speed up the dose-sharing to fully protect the most vulnerable people."

France has pledged to share 500,000 doses with six African countries in the next few weeks and has already sent 31,000 doses to Mauritania, with plans to send out another 74,400 doses soon.

While the EU and the United States have pledged to send 100 million and 80 million doses respectively to low-income countries by the end of 2021, other countries around the world have also expressed interest in sharing doses with the continent. Countries on the continent that are not using all of their doses are also sharing them with other countries on the continent.

The WHO has however warned that Africa will have to step up its manufacturing capacity for vaccines, because while redistributing or sharing vaccine doses is helpful, it is also expensive and therefore not sustainable.

"Intellectual Property waivers are a crucial first step but must come alongside the sharing of expertise and critical technologies," the WHO wrote in a press release.

All the 54 countries in Africa are included in a 100-country effort by the World Health Organization to present a draft resolution to the World Health Assembly. The resolution aims at "strengthening local production, promoting technology transfers and innovation, and considering the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and intellectual property rights through the lens of boosting local production," according to the WHO.

About 40 African countries have also joined a WHO training to build manufacturing capacity and the health body has said that it is also working with the African Union on a plan to support feasibility studies and technology transfers upon request.

"It's too soon to tell if Africa is on the cusp of a third wave. However, we know that cases are rising, and the clock is ticking," Moeti said.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has selected Ghana as a likely manufacturing hub for the Covid-19 vaccine in Africa.