COVID Shots Arrive, But Africa Has Problems with Vaccination

 

COVID-19 vaccine¹ supplies are increasing in Africa. But administering the treatments to people across the continent is proving difficult.

Health experts say successful vaccination² campaigns in Africa are important to ending the pandemic worldwide. Africa's low vaccination rates increase the risk that the virus will change, like the new Omicron variant³ spreading in South Africa.

The World Health Organization says 102 million people, or 7.5 percent of Africa's population, are fully⁴ vaccinated⁵.

African governments repeatedly appealed for increased vaccine supply this year. But production restrictions⁶ and storing of extra vaccines⁷ by richer countries severely⁸ limited supplies until recently.

Shortages of money, medical workers and equipment were already causing problems for vaccination campaigns in some parts of Africa. Experts warn that the expected increase of vaccines in the coming weeks could uncover those weaknesses further.

About 40 percent of vaccines that have arrived so far on the continent have not been used. That information comes from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a non-profit policy organization.

The rate of vaccine use will have to increase by four times the current level to keep up with expected supply in coming months, the institute says.

Vaccination rates differ widely across Africa. Some health systems in relatively⁹ small nations and in North Africa are having more success.

Cape¹⁰ Verde, off the coast of West Africa and with a population of about 600,000, has vaccinated nearly 65 percent of adults.

In Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa, with a population of nearly 90 million, the number is 0.1 percent.

Kenya has received nearly 5 million doses in recent weeks after months of slow supplies.

Willis Akhwale is head of the government's COVID-19 vaccine response team. He said Kenya vaccinated a record 110,000 people on December 1 and aims to maintain that rate for the next month. He said that would bring the total number vaccinated to 10 million out of a population of 47 million people.

But the rural Sekenani health center, about 270 kilometers southwest of Kenya's capital Nairobi, faces many difficulties.

The center started offering COVID-19 vaccinations¹¹ last month. Gerald Yiaile, one of the workers there, said the center keeps running out of vaccine doses and has only one dependable refrigerator. The refrigerator is also used for other vaccines.

Workers need motorbikes to take vaccines to the community. Many people are too poor to pay for travel to a healthcare site, he said.

Yiaile asked local officials for support for mobile vaccination and has not heard back.

"We have been forced to ask the community to come to us instead of us going to them," he said.

Cameroon in Central Africa had 244 vaccination centers when the country began its vaccination campaign in April. Now, there are 1,000 centers, said Cameroon's deputy head of the immunization program.

But health workers and officials say that power failures and a lack of workers have threatened the usability of vaccines.

Leonard Kouadio is head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) health section in Cameroon. He said the country has one refrigerated truck able to transport vaccines. He added that Cameroon needs at least 2,500 more refrigerator temperature-measuring devices and more trucks to increase distribution.

Mali, one of Africa's largest and poorest countries, has two refrigerated trucks to carry vaccines long distances. Conflict in the northern part of the country led some health workers there to flee their posts, said UNICEF health program director in Mali, Abdoul Gadiry Fadiga.

Mali expects to receive about 3.5 million doses between now and the end of March 2022. That is more than two times the number it has received since vaccinations began, Fadiga said.

Mali has enough storage resources to deal with the number of vaccination doses until March. But Fadiga added that the country still needs 288 more refrigerators and freezers for the future.

The World Bank has approved $9.8 billion for emergency health assistance in developing countries worldwide. But so far only $4.4 billion have been given out.

Also, some donated vaccine treatments were sent very close to their expiration¹² date. Countries in urgent need of vaccines, including South Sudan and Congo, had to return some donations as a result. Namibia warned last month it may have to destroy thousands of out-of-date vaccine treatments.

South Africa asked Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to delay delivery of vaccines because it had too many.

One major difficulty in giving out vaccines is community distrust, sometimes caused by religious belief and mistrust of Western drug companies and their governments. A lack of education about COVID-19 vaccines enables rumors¹³ to spread.

That can be the result of local worker and financial shortages, health workers across Africa told Reuters.

Ethiopia is worried that vaccines might expire before they are used because of low demand. The country is trying to overcome vaccine hesitancy by reaching out to communities through local religious and civil society groups, said Muluken Yohannes. He is a senior adviser¹⁴ to Ethiopia's health ministry¹⁵.

"Currently, developed countries ... have satisfied their vaccine needs. As a result, they are pushing leftover¹⁶ vaccines ... to developing countries," he said. But he added that the best time to deliver these vaccines has already passed.

Words in This Story

refrigerator – n. a device or room that is used to keep things such as food and drinks cold

mobile – adj. capable of moving or being moved about readily

distribution – n. the act of giving or delivering something to people

expiration – n. the fact of coming to an end or no longer being valid¹⁷ after a period of time; the fact of expiring

rumors – n. information or a stories passed from person to person but has not been proven to be true

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

3 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

8 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

11 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

13 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

15 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

16 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

17 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？