Africa CDC chief once again criticizes COVID vaccine inequality

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – The head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has once again criticized the inequality in access to COVID-19 vaccines.

John Nkengasong made the remarks during his weekly media briefing in the capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.

“I would like to make a moral case to the leaders of the G7 that our limited supply of vaccines on the continent has definitely a serious boding for us, a serious economic boding for us,” he said.

“Perhaps it is a greater moral boding for those who are sitting on excess doses of vaccines; because actually, they want to be on the right side of history.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who won the accolade of being Africa's champion on COVID-19 issues, is expected to attend the G7 meeting, and Nkengasong has pinned his hopes on the South African president to raise the vaccine inequities issue with the leaders.

“President Ramaphosa, who will represent Africa at the G7 leaders’ summit is a passionate champion,” he said, adding that the president will raise the continent’s concerns and demands to the world during the summit.

“It is in the collective interest of the world's health security, and not just Africa,” he said. “No one is safe until everybody is safe.”

According to the African health agency, the continent has recorded over 4.867 million coronavirus cases and 131,441 related deaths.

Africa, with a population of 1.3 billion, has only administered 33.16 million vaccine doses, according to Our World in Data, a tracking website. The total number of shots given worldwide is 1.98 billion.

Vaccinations began in December 2020 but inequity in their access has been criticized by the WHO and others time and again. Rich countries have been buying jabs in excess, leaving less for others.

The WHO is leading COVAX, a global vaccine-sharing program, but it remains underfunded and has faced supply shortages.