The African Union Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday warned that there would be terrible consequences if African countries go without a coronavirus vaccine.
The Africa CDC Director, John Nkengasong, said failure by African countries to timely receive the coronavirus vaccines while other countries stock up in excess could undermine the continent’s development record.
It could also upset global efforts to curb the spread of the virus, Nkengasong noted.
“It would be extremely terrible for the world to watch Africa not receive the vaccines while some countries have bought the vaccines in excess.
” African countries would have our developmental process challenged if we do not get this vaccine soon,” Nkengasong told reporters.
He noted that the ability to have Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines and Moderna vaccines which require low-temperature storage facilities, the ability to have them cover millions of people remains a logistical nightmare.
The Africa CDC official said availing deep freezers in major cities to ensure temperatures of negative 80 degrees are maintained would be part of efforts to deal with the pandemic in Africa.
“Africa has never vaccinated as many as this number required. The coordination is the key issue,” Nkengasong said.
