The World Health Organization (WHO), African region, has raised an alarm that about half of the countries yet to start COVID-19 vaccination are in Africa.
This was contained in a tweet on its official Twitter handle.
According to the health body, the only way out of the pandemic is to recover together, thus emphasizing the need for vaccine equity.
Vaccine equity is a global effort, being championed by WHO, to make vaccine available and accessible to those most in need of it without discrimination.
The tweet was sent under the hashtags #RecoverTogether and #VaccinnEquity.
According to WHO-Afro, as of 12th of April, 2021, 24 countries were yet start COVID-19 vaccination and “nearly half” of them in Africa.
The tweet contained an infographics with a charge: “COVID-19 vaccines should be fairly distributed.”
Nearly 50% of countries that have not begun #COVID19 vaccinations are in #Africa🌍.
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) April 18, 2021
The only way out of its pandemic is to #RecoverTogether. #VaccinEquity pic.twitter.com/ki0r31X92Q
The World Health Organization has been at the forefront of campaign for equitable distribution of vaccine globally.
According to the Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, fair distribution and access to COVID-19 vaccine is the way out for the world to overcome the pandemic.
Dr. Ghebreyesus raised alarm that if vaccine equity was not prioritized, the world’s race towards ending the pandemic quickly and restarting economies may suffer.
On January 18, 2021, Dr. Ghebreyesus wrote:
“The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure – and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries.”
WHO Director-General on vaccine equity on January 18, 2021.
