administration plans expand covid vaccine production

In 2019, 94 percent of malaria cases and deaths occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers are also getting closer to developing an effective and affordable vaccine for malaria. For example, vaccines for Lassa fever-an acute viral hemorrhagic illness that is endemic in eight countries in West Africa-are currently in the development phase. Moreover, these efforts will place Africa on a much stronger footing to meet demand for future public-health solutions.

According to the Anadolu Agency, in 2019 an estimated 19.8 million children worldwide did not receive the measles vaccine through routine immunization coverage the majority of those children live in Africa. The European Union, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation, France, Germany, and the United States, has announced plans to invest 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in the hub-development project.ĭeveloping Africa’s vaccine-manufacturing capabilities will not only help the continent to cope with future unexpected crises it will also enable countries to improve the provision of existing vaccines. Launched this past April, PAVM aims to establish five vaccine research and manufacturing hubs on the continent over the next 10-15 years, and increase the share of vaccines produced locally for use on the continent to as much as 60 percent within the next 20 years. The program, which will include a focus on human-capital development, aligns with the African Union (AU) and the Africa CDC’s Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) initiative. That is why the Mastercard Foundation has pledged $1.3 billion to support local manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, through a partnership with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVAX aims to provide vaccines for 20 percent of people in low- and middle-income countries.īut while initiatives like COVAX are clearly needed to fulfill Africa’s short-term needs, they will do little to improve the continent’s capacity to provide crucial vaccines for itself in the future. So far during the pandemic, African countries have received most of their COVID-19 vaccine doses through either bilateral agreements or the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility, an initiative launched last year by the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Haseltine Friday, August 20, 2021Īfrica is almost totally dependent on vaccine imports, producing just 1 percent of the vaccines it administers.

Administration plans expand covid vaccine production