About 20 African countries have received vaccine consignments from the COVAX initiative in the last few weeks. Long before the COVAX doses, some countries had secured vaccines through other independent sources.
Yet, fewer numbers have rolled out inoculation drives.
According to the World Health Organization's Africa regional office, six African countries have started rolling out vaccination as of March 9, 2021.
The six were Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Angola. Uganda, The Gambia and Togo also started inoculation today after receiving COVAX consignment in early March.
The WHO Africa region includes almost all sub-Saharan African countries and Algeria. Sudan, which has began vaccination and Djibouti as well as Somalia, and other North African countries are classified under the Eastern Mediterranean Region of WHO.
But before the COVAX vaccines started arriving, a number of African countries had started vaccination.
name GhanaWeb's tracking of countries currently vaccinating is as follows:
1. Ghana
2. Kenya
3. Ivory Coast
4. Nigeria
5. Rwanda
6. Angola
7. Uganda
8. Sudan
9. Zimbabwe
10. Algeria
11. South Africa
12. Egypt
13. Mauritius
14. Seychelles
15. Morocco
16. Mozambique
17. Senegal
18. Equatorial Guinea
19. Togo
20. The Gambia
UNICEF chief: $1 billion more needed for COVAX COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ children’s fund on Wednesday urged countries to contribute more money to help poor countries access coronavirus vaccines, saying around $1 billion was needed.
UNICEF, the world’s single largest vaccine buyer, is part of the World Health Organization-backed COVAX programme to supply COVID-19 shots to emerging economies.
“We have been asking the world for more funding ... for UNICEF and our distribution to countries we still need about $1 billion,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said at Dubai’s World Government Summit, held virtually this year.
That funding could be used strengthen health systems in poorer nations and support the distribution of vaccines there, she said.
The COVAX initiative aims to deliver at least 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses this year, including 1.3 billion doses to lower income countries.
Fore urged vaccine makers to sign licensing agreements so vaccines could be made locally, singling out Africa as one market that needed it.
She also said it was unlikely the COVAX scheme would be able to cover the world this year.
“There is still more to do and we could do with more help and assistance.”
With additional reporting by Reuters News Agency
Gambia president Adama Barrow receives his shot