Africa’s Vaccine Rollout – The Highs & Lows

Most developed countries are in the advanced stages of COVID-19 vaccination rollouts, but a large number of developing countries, including most across Africa, one of which is Taiwan’s newest political ally on the continent, Somaliland, are still in the early stages, mainly due to a shortage of shots available.

African countries are trying to overcome the shortfall by using a multi-pronged approach to secure vaccines.

This includes sourcing them through:

• the COVAX facility. This is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. It’s led by global health organisations including Gavi, the vaccine alliance, the World Health Organisation, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations;
• the COVID-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, which was established by the African Union;
• bilateral agreements with the manufacturers, and
• donations from other countries.

To help keep track of the progress of COVID-19 vaccine rollouts in African countries, a map to be updated daily has been developed, showing how many people have been vaccinated, and where, across the continent.

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