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The African Union special envoy tasked with leading efforts to procure Covid-19 vaccines for the continent is blasti𓆏ng Europe as Africa struggles amid a crushing third surge of infections, saying Thursday that “not one dose, not one vial, has left a European factory for Africa.”
Strive Masiyiwa also took aim at the global effort meant to d🐽istribute vaccines to low-and middle-income countries, accusing COVAX ꧑of withholding crucial information including that key donors hadn't met funding pledges.
Had African leaders known this, “we may have 🦩acted very differently,” Masiyiwa told reporters, adding that “many countries were just sitting back saying, the🉐 vaccines are coming' ... We as Africans are disappointed."
He stressed that Africa has purchased 400 million vaccine doses and can💦 buy more, but he challenged donors: “Pay up your money ... We🌠 will no longer measure pledges, we will measure vaccines arriving at our airports.”
The African continent of 1🌜.3 billion people is now in the grip of a third surge of infections that is “extremely aggressive,” the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters.
Just 1 per cent of Africa's population is fully vaccinated against C෴ovid-19, John Nkengasong said.
Masiyiwa said COVAX had promised to deliver 700 million vaccine doses to Africa by December. But at mid-year, Africa has received just 65 ༺million doses overall. Less than 50 million doses via COVAX have arrived.
“We are very far away from ou🐠r target,” Nkengasong said. “We don't want to be seen as the continent of COVID ... (In Europe) the stadiums are 🌜full of young people shouting and hugging, we can't do that in Africa.”
However, he and Masiyiwa announced that the first shipments of Johnson 🔜&am♏p; Johnson and Pfizer vaccines with U.S. support will begin arriving next week.
The African continent has had 5.5 million confirmed COVID-19 infections and has seen a “remarkable" 23 per cent increase in deaths over the ♎past week, the Africa CDC director said.
He said the continent needs 1.6 billion doses in a double-dose regime,🥀 or 800 million for a single-dose regime, to meet the goal of vaccinating 60 per cent of the population.
