Remarks by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti
I’d like to wish a good morning, good afternoon, bonjour and welcome to all the journalists joining this press conference, where we will discuss the status of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Africa.
I am very pleased to be joined for this conversation today by Mr Mohamed Malick Fall, my dear colleague and brother who is the Regional Director of UNICEF for Eastern & Southern Africa, who’s going to shine a light on the critical work being done to deliver vaccines to African people.
Communities’ views and actions will determine the progress and success of our collective efforts, and Mr Mohammed Omer Mukhier-Abuzein, the Regional Director for Africa of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is with us today to discuss community engagement around vaccines.
A very, very warm welcome to you both.
There have now been nearly 11 million COVID-19 cases, and 239 000 lives sadly lost in Africa due to the pandemic.
New cases and deaths have declined overall for the third consecutive week on the continent.
However, while all sub-regions have reported a decline in new cases, South Africa is reporting an uptick. In addition, North Africa reported a 25% increase in new weekly death trends.
Vaccination remains our best defence against severe illness, death and overwhelmed health systems. To date, Africa has received more than 587 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
In January alone, 96 million doses were shipped to Africa – more than double the monthly deliveries to the continent six months ago. This suggests that the world is finally hearing Africa’s calls.
Yet, African countries are still lagging far behind the rest of the world.
Only 11% of the African population is fully vaccinated, and a troubling 85% have not received a single dose.
Africa’s limited access to COVID-19 vaccines last year negatively impacted the rollout. But in 2022 we must address other hurdles too, including the short shelf life of vaccines on delivery, and operational bottlenecks.
It is now time for a reset.
If African countries are to reach the 70% vaccine coverage target for their citizens by mid-year, they need to increase the pace of rollout six-fold.
Currently, countries are vaccinating about six million people a week. It’s the largest vaccination campaign in the continent’s history, but it’s not enough.
That number needs to increase exponentially, to 36 million a week, to put countries on the path to beating this pandemic.
As WHO, we acknowledge that this rollout is a massive coordination and logistical undertaking, and that many of our countries have challenges with inadequate financial resources and delivery capacity, and with planning and instituting essential micro plans.
As such, WHO in the African Region, along with our colleagues in UNICEF and other partners, are joining forces to urgently ramp up support to countries to enable them to overcome the bottlenecks, improve coordination, and speed up vaccination efforts.
Late last year, fact-finding missions were conducted to countries with the aim of understanding the challenges and identifying the bottlenecks. Based on the findings, WHO and UNICEF, in conjunction with international and national partners, have launched an initiative to support 20 priority countries with the lowest vaccine uptake.
Specialist country support teams are now being deployed to these countries, where they will remain for up to six months. They will be embedded within the government, boosting the capacities of local teams tasked with supporting the achievement of the 70% coverage target by mid-2022.
Around 50 of these have already been deployed, and more will be sent based on country-specific needs.
The COVAX Facility is supporting the effort with a change in its allocation strategy. Vaccines are now being shipped to countries based on demand, to ensure that countries get the right volume at the right time.
This monthly rolling-demand planning process will significantly reduce the risk of expiry and wastage.
So, I look forward very much to this important discussion today, and thank you once again for having joined us.