15 July 2021
Last update on Thursday, July 15, 2021 At 3:26 PM
According to WHO Africa, since May 3, the continent has entered its third wave of the Covid19 pandemic. With nearly 5.3 million cases and 139,000 deaths, Africa remains the least affected continent. But this new wave is worrying because it is spreading faster than the previous ones.
In total, more than $ 4 billion will be made available to 51 developing countries for the purchase and deployment of Covid-19 vaccines, more than half of which in Africa. This action by the World Bank is part of its commitment to help low- and middle-income countries acquire and distribute vaccines and strengthen their health systems.
“Significant challenges remain with regard to the deployment of the vaccine and the reluctance [to be vaccinated, editor’s note]. We are taking action on all fronts to address these challenges, working in solidarity with international and regional partners to get doses to as many people as possible and to improve disease surveillance, preparedness and response. »Said Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of World Bank Operations.
The 26 African countries concerned are Benin, Cape Verde, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini (ex Swaziland), Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia and Zambia.
This funding will be used by these recipient states to acquire doses through COVAX, the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) or other sources. Note that in total, the World Bank hopes to help vaccinate up to 400 million Africans, on a continent where vaccination campaigns are slowed down by supply difficulties and people’s fears about the risk of negative effects.
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