Denver – A new study from the World Health Organization (WHO) has placed Morocco among a small group of African countries that have reached global vaccine targets set earlier this year.
The WHO set a target for countries to vaccinate at least 10% of the most vulnerable populations against COVID-19 by the end of September. Morocco, alongside Tunisia and South Africa, have already reached the goal, according to the WHO Africa office. Three more countries are set to reach the goal at their current vaccination pace, while two more will be able to reach the goal if they slightly increase the pace of vaccination.
Despite receiving 21 million vaccines via the global COVAX vaccine distribution program, many African countries still lag behind the rest of the world in terms of vaccine supplies. The WHO report relayed that approximately 8 out of 10 countries in Africa will be unable to reach the September goal.
26 countries in Africa have distributed less than half of their national vaccine supplies, suggesting that vaccine inequality has remained a glaring issue since the pandemic began. In a tweet on Friday, WHO regional director Dr. Matshidiso Moeti called the global vaccine inequality “deeply disturbing.”
Africa’s third COVID wave spiked in July, however, 25 African countries are still reporting relatively high or rising case numbers within their borders. WHO Africa reports that currently “every hour 26 Africans die of COVID-19.”
Africa’s lingering COVID issues are projected to be a direct result of unequal global vaccine distribution, and critics have long accused developed nations of stockpiling a disproportionately high number of vaccines. The complicity of the current vaccine manufacturers has perpetuated this issue, preventing Africans from receiving the same lifesaving resources abundantly available in wealthier nations.
