Africa must work harder to beef up supplies of Covid-19 vaccines

A health worker vaccinates a man against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Harare, Zimbabwe, February 18, 2021. [Reuters, Philimon Bulawayo]

The Covid-19 pandemic is the worst global public health crisis in a century, causing significant mortality and giving rise to daunting health and socioeconomic challenges. To achieve herd immunity in Africa, 60 to 70 per cent of the continent's population needs to be vaccinated.

Whilst countries like the United Kingdom have fully vaccinated over half their population, only about one per cent of Africa's population has been fully vaccinated. Initiatives such as Covax, which aim to support equitable vaccine access, have been underfunded and pledges made at the G7 meeting in early June were inadequate to reach the amounts of doses required by the World Health Organisation.