WHO: Nigeria, Others Lag Behind In Administering COVID-19 Vaccines
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria and other African countries have performed poorly in the administration of COVID-19 vaccines. It added that only 18.7% of the African population was fully vaccinated, lagging behind the global average of 58 percent.
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Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stated this in a statement marking African Vaccination Week on Tuesday. On the theme of this year’s conference, “Long Life for All,” Dr. Moeti remarked that Africans have yet to fully embrace vaccination despite its lifesaving potential.
“Despite the lifesaving potential of vaccines for everyone, everywhere, in Africa, tens of millions of people are still missing out on some, or all, their scheduled immunisation against diseases that vaccines have long eradicated. Although 480 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Africa till date, making it the biggest vaccine roll out in the continent’s history, only 18.7% of the African population is fully vaccinated – lagging woefully behind the global average of 58%.”
Dr. Moeti, while calling for the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccination efforts, urged the countries not to ignore the urgent need to strengthen routine immunisation efforts.
