WHO Warns A Drop In Coronavirus Numbers In Africa Could Be Short-Lived

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday warned the drop in coronavirus case numbers in Africa could be short-lived, reported UN News.

Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said although cases on the continent fell by 1.7 percent this week to nearly 282,000, driven by a sharp drop in South Africa, 21 countries are still experiencing a resurgence, three more than last week.

“Let’s be under no illusions, Africa’s third wave is absolutely not over,” Moeti said. “The small step forward offers hope and inspiration but must not mask the big picture for Africa.”

The WHO official said Africa continues to lag behind other continents as far as the COVID-19 vaccination is concerned as only about 1.5 percent of the continent’s population is fully vaccinated so far.

“African countries must go all out and speed up their vaccine rollouts by 5 to 6 times if they are to get all these doses into arms and fully vaccinate the most vulnerable 10 percent of their people by the end of September,” she said.

Moeti noted that a gradual easing of vaccine supply constraints in the continent will help in boosting efforts to curb the third wave of COVID-19 infections. About 60 million doses are expected to arrive in Africa in the coming weeks, which include donations from several countries and purchases through the COVAX facility.

She said that over half a billion doses procured through the COVAX facility is expected to arrive in Africa this year.  She stressed that the continent must vaccinate 21 million doses every week in order to reach the 10 percent target by September.

Moeti said African countries should prioritize training health workers and upgrading cold chain infrastructure in order to boost vaccine uptake.

She said WHO has partnered with the continent’s ministries of health to prepare adequately for a hassle-free roll-out of the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination.