Africa’s vaccine shortage is not the only reason for the delay in the spread of vaccines-the world

As Africa records the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the world, the emergence of more contagious variants will increase and the risk of first-generation vaccine ineffectiveness will increase. While inadequate supply of COVID-19 vaccine across the continent has contributed to low vaccination rates, Project Hope has contributed to several factors contributing to the slow spread of vaccines in Africa. I found that.

“There are some challenges due to the very low availability of vaccines throughout Africa,” said Asefa Wandwassen, Deputy Director of Africa for Project Hope. “It turns out that even if some countries are vaccinated, it is not always possible to vaccinate in groups.”

Through its involvement in the region, Project Hope has identified some challenges and gaps that contribute to low vaccination coverage in Africa, including COVID and training in vaccine science for healthcare professionals. The shortage of COVID-19 vaccine remains the biggest problem for African countries, but other reported problems include lack of funding, lack of trained professionals, and people to get the vaccine. I have a hesitation. In addition, many countries were unable to reach priority groups. This is because we do not have a state-of-the-art registration system that can find and register these preferred individuals. Finally, due to the significant shortage of vaccine doses, many countries used different vaccines to track who obtained which type of vaccine, with different logistics and storage requirements and different. Challenges such as training vaccinated people to get the vaccine arose.

“Identifying the cause of the delay in vaccine adoption is only the first step. Countries now need to tackle these challenges and bring more vaccines to the hands of the people,” Wandwossen said. Says. “All vaccine doses are like liquid gold. No country can afford to waste vaccine doses when variants are endemic and life-threatening.”

To speed up the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine, Project Hope recommends that countries take three approaches: monitoring and managing side effects, raising community awareness of vaccine safety and hesitation. Develop tactics to deal with.

As of June 2, 2021, Africa had administered 59% of its vaccine supply. This corresponds to 1.86% and 0.51% of the population receiving the first and second doses of the COVI-19 vaccine, respectively. Africa’s goal is to vaccinate at least 20% of the population by providing up to 600 million doses of vaccine by the end of 2021.

Last week, the World Health Organization failed to meet its September goal of vaccination of 10% of its population in 47 of 54 African countries without another 225 million vaccinations in Africa. Warned.

Earlier this year, Project HOPE Online training Working with the Africa CDC and Brown University, 37 African countries have local vaccinated people ready to meet the role requirements when the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. Make sure. Approximately 900 master trainers in the target countries were trained in four languages ​​(English, Arabic, French and Portuguese).

About Project HOPE Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian organization operating in more than 25 countries with the mission of empowering local healthcare professionals to save the lives of people around the world. Founded in 1958, we work with local health systems to improve health and support community resilience. We work at the epicenter of today’s biggest health problems, including infectious diseases and chronic illnesses. Disasters and Health Crisis; Maternal, Newborn and Child Health; Pandemic Preparation and Response. Mental health of healthcare professionals; policies that affect how healthcare is delivered. For more information www.ProjectHOPE.org Follow us on Twitter @ProjectHOPEorg..

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Hajer Naili, Media Relations Manager, [email protected], +1 (917) 889-5982 / +33 6 03 50 53 93