As one in two North Americans received at least their first vaccination, in Africa this percentage is barely 1.5 percent. In many African countries, a vaccination campaign did not even begin. They often do not have the financial resources to purchase the vaccines themselves and depend on donations.
The Covax initiative, launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and the Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), aims to provide low and middle-income countries with equal access to vaccines. Rich countries are supposed to help with financing. But supplies from Covax are slow. As of February, 49 million doses of Coronavirus vaccines have already been delivered to more than 100 countries, most notably AstraZeneca.
Gibraltar, an island of about 33,000, has already vaccinated almost all of its inhabitants with a vaccination rate of 99 percent. Approximately 10.5 million shots have been taken in Israel now, which means that the Middle Eastern country has reached a vaccination rate of nearly 60%. In countries such as Niger or Syria, the test is still in several thousand vaccinations.
When we look at the number of doses administered per 100 people, it becomes clear that the focus of the vaccination campaign around the world is on the wealthy countries. North America and Europe top the list, and Africa and the poorest parts of Asia are lagging behind.
In our country, 28.56% of the population has been vaccinated at least once. This places Belgium at the “sub-summit” of the world.
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