The United Nations Security Council has issued a rallying call to global institutions for support to expand Covid-19 vaccine access for African countries. A text that it unanimously adopted said that Africa had so far received only 2 per cent of the vaccines administered worldwide, according to BBC. It added that there needed to be equitable access to quality, safe, efficacious, and affordable Covid-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, medicines and vaccines. Speaking to the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, also noted that limited supply and insufficient support were undermining recovery in the continent. Out of 1.4 billion doses administered around the world today, only 24 million have reached Africa – less than 2 per cent. Equitable and sustainable vaccine roll-out worldwide is the quickest path towards a fast, and fair recovery, he said. Guterres called for sharing of doses through the global Covax initiative and removal of export restrictions among other measures. Poor accessibility to vaccines has seen majority of African countries suspending inoculation drive, regressing efforts to curb the spread of the virus. In an interview with the national broadcaster on Wednesday, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana Director General at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) said that the country has so far inoculated 5 per cent against a target of 60 per cent this year. Nsanzimana who sounded optimistic towards securing more doses in the coming days, said that the country decided to suspend the country-wide vaccination programme mainly because of lack of vaccines.
