COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 vaccines are a crucial tool in ending the pandemic. The development and approval of safe and effective vaccines less than a year after the emergence of COVID-19 is a stunning achievement, and Africa is embarking on its largest ever vaccination drive.
Vaccines save millions of lives every year. Vaccines work by training and preparing the body’s natural defences - the immune system - to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. If the body is exposed to those disease-causing germs later, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness.
With a fast-moving pandemic, no-one is safe until everyone is made safe by vaccination. As countries around the world procure vaccines, Africa must not be left behind.
African countries can access COVID-19 vaccines in three ways:
- Through COVAX, the global facility led by WHO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
- Through the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, and
- Through bilateral deals with vaccine manufacturers.
COVAX
42 African countries have so far joined the COVAX facility, which aims to ensure equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines globally.
For Africa, the aim is to vaccinate at least 20% of the population by providing up to 600 million doses by the end of 2021. The first phase of 90 million doses will support African countries to immunize 3% of the African population that are most in need of protection, including health workers and other vulnerable groups, in the first half of 2021.
Photo story
Rolling out COVID-19 vaccines in Rwanda
Kigali, 06 April 2021– Forty-eight hours after Rwanda received shipments of COVID-19 vaccines, vaccinations began in earnest, with high-risk population given priority. The country plans to vaccinate a third of the population in 2021 and double that figure next year.