Figure of the week: Vaccine inequity in Africa
By Sakinatou Djantchiemo, Tamara White
Final month, the Brookings Africa Development Initiative (AGI) launched its annual Foresight Africa report, which explores high priorities for the area within the coming yr. Amongst different themes, the 2022 version examines main traits for Africa in 2022, together with its financial restoration from the COVID-19 pandemic, public well being, the empowerment of African girls and women, local weather change, technological innovation, and the area’s exterior relations
Chapter 2, “Public well being: Guaranteeing equal entry and self-sufficiency,” particularly examines the way forward for public well being in Africa, together with an replace on COVID-19 vaccination efforts within the area. A serious theme is the problem of vaccine inequity. As Determine 1 exhibits, the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to this point has been unequal, with many international locations providing boosters whereas Africa waits for its first doses.
Determine 1. Africa has acquired a really small share of the worldwide COVID-19 vaccine provide
Supply: Ordu, A., & Golubski, C. (Eds.). (2022). “Foresight Africa: Prime priorities for the continent in 2022.” Washington, D.C.: Brookings Establishment.
Determine 1 illustrates Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination statistics between March and December 2021. Notably, as of the tip of 2021, lower than 20 p.c of Africa’s inhabitants had acquired at the least one dose, whereas solely 0.1 p.c of the inhabitants had acquired a booster shot. These numbers are stark in comparison with the remainder of the world, particularly South America, the place nearly 80 p.c of the inhabitants has acquired at the least one dose, and Europe, the place 22 p.c of the inhabitants has already acquired a booster shot.
Determine 2 illustrates just a few of the challenges to addressing vaccine inequity in sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, though the area’s value per vaccine dose is decrease, its relative prices are considerably greater (Determine 2).
Determine 2. Vaccine prices in sub-Saharan Africa stay comparatively excessive
Supply: Ordu, A., & Golubski, C. (Eds.). (2022). “Foresight Africa: Prime priorities for the continent in 2022.” Washington, D.C.: Brookings Establishment.
In his Foresight Africa 2022 viewpoint inspecting these inequities, Dr. Michel Sidibé, African particular envoy for the African Medicines Company of the African Union, urges Western international locations to switch their unused vaccines to COVAX and recommends that COVAX collaborate with the African Vaccine Acquisition Job Staff (AVATT) to make sure an optimum allocation and distribution of vaccines within the area given AVATT’s pooled sources for vaccine procurement.
For extra on vaccine inequity, see Sidibé’s Foresight Africa viewpoint “Vaccine inequity: Guaranteeing Africa is just not not noted” and AGI’s previous occasion “Accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations in Africa.” For extra on logistical challenges to COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Africa, see the Foresight Africa 2021 viewpoint “Navigating the complexities round a COVID vaccine in Africa.”
