Open AccessCOVID-19 vaccines and vaccination: how prepared is Africa?
Author(s) -
Olumuyiwa Elijah Ariyo,
Elijah Kolawole Oladipo,
Oluwadamilola Gideon Osasona,
Olumide Obe,
Folakemi Olomojobi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the pan african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.287
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 1937-8688
DOI - 10.11604/pamj.2021.39.107.27912
Subject(s) - medicine , software deployment , milestone , pandemic , vaccination , herd immunity , covid-19 , global health , economic growth , environmental health , virology , public health , nursing , disease , archaeology , pathology , computer science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , operating system , history
The approval of vaccines for emergency use signifies a great milestone to end the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less than 2% of the global vaccines have been administered in Africa, putting the continent in a precarious situation in the eventuality of another wave that may consume its health system. There is still an enormous task in Africa in the face of vaccine nationalism. In most countries, vaccine acquisition and deployment have been suboptimal. Leaving out Africa in the race to achieve global herd immunity may be catastrophic. Stakeholders must continue engagement to ensure a successful deployment of the vaccines on the continent. There is a need to build capacity in Africa for rapid vaccine development and deployment in the long term.