INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
DAKAR/ACCRA, MAY 18It's noisy inside the Mamprobi clinic in Accra as kids clamber over their mothers while they wait
to get their measles vaccines
Outside, an area reserved for COVID-19 shots is empty
A health worker leans back in his chair and scrolls on a tablet.
UK scientists look to repurpose existing antiviral drugs
BTS singer Jimin hospitalized for appendicitis, tests positive
for COVID-19
One woman, waiting to get her
daughter inoculated, is fully aware of the dangers of measles: the high fever, the rash, the risk to eyesight
But COVID-19? She has never heard of a single case.
The perception that COVID-19 doesn't pose a significant threat is
common in Ghana's capital and elsewhere in Africa, whose youthful populace has suffered a fraction of the casualties that have driven
vaccine uptake in places like Europe and America, where the disease tore through elderly populations."I mean, Ghana has been spared up until
now doing just what we're doing," said Nana Kwaku Addo, a 28-year-old construction worker in Accra
"I've heard people say it's common sense (to get vaccinated), but what about all the other countries that have taken it and still put people
in lockdown."Only 17% of Africa's 1.3 billion population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 - versus above 70% in some countries - in part
because richer nations hoarded supply last year, when global demand was greatest, to the chagrin of African nations desperate for
international supplies.Now though, as doses finally arrive in force in the continent, inoculation rates are falling
The number of shots administered dropped 35% in March, World Health Organization data shows, erasing a 23% rise seen in February
People are less afraid now
Misinformation about vaccines has festered."If we had gotten vaccines earlier, this kind of thing wouldn't happen so often," Christina Odei,
the COVID-19 team leader at the Mamprobi clinic, said of the low uptake in Accra
"Initially everyone really wanted it, but we didn't have the vaccines."That worries public health specialists who say that leaving such a
large population unvaccinated increases the risk of new variants emerging on the continent before spreading to regions such as Europe just
as governments there abandon mask mandates and travel restrictions.In a sign of possible perils to come, cases of two Omicron subvariants
have shot up in recent weeks in South Africa, the continent's worst-hit nation, prompting officials there to warn of a fifth wave of
infections.To boost uptake, countries are focusing on mobile vaccination drives, in which teams visit communities and offer doses
onsite.However many African countries can't afford the vehicles, fuel, cool boxes and salaries needed for a national campaign, according to
more than a dozen health officials, workers and experts across several countries
Meanwhile, donor funding has been slow to arrive, they said.Rahab Mwaniki, the Africa co-ordinator for the People's Vaccine Alliance
advocacy group, said it was a "big ask" for Africans to prioritise getting COVID-19 vaccines to help protect others around the world when
infection rates at home were low."Many people say, 'you didn't help us'
They feel like the West never really supported them," she added, stressing that Africans should still get vaccinated to protect themselves
and others from new variants.REACHING OUTMany African countries are long familiar with deadly diseases
Millions fall ill each year with tuberculosis
Malaria kills hundreds of thousands annually, mostly children under five
Ebola springs up periodically in Democratic Republic of Congo.West Africa is facing its worst food crisis on record driven by conflict,
drought, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on food prices.For many people COVID-19, which carries a far greater risk of severe illness
and death for the elderly, is not the most pressing concern
The median age in Africa is 20, the lowest of all regions, and about half the 43 in Europe and 39 in North America, according to a Pew
Research Center analysis of U.N
data."Let me ask you one question," said Mawule, a businessman in Accra
"Is COVID the biggest problem in Ghana right now? You think it's a bigger problem than inflation, the way people suffer for fuel?"Now the
continent has too many COVID-19 vaccine doses
Vaccination sites lie empty; millions of unused vials are piling up, and one of Africa's first COVID-19 vaccine producers is still waiting
Read full storyAt the Mamprobi clinic, health workers in bright yellow vests have resorted to proactive measures.They fan out across the
busy market stalls and stores in the area, one with a cool box slung over his shoulder containing COVID-19 vaccine shots, asking wary
shoppers if they would like to receive an injection.After an hour toiling in the baking sun, the team had administered just four doses.NO
MONEY, NO JINGLESTo boost uptake, countries including Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Kenya are focusing on mobile vaccination campaigns
But finances are stretched.Misinformation is tough to unglue on a continent where big pharmaceutical companies have in the past run dubious
clinical trials resulting in deaths
Health workers say they need funds to counter false rumours.Ghana, one of Africa's most developed economies and one applauded for its early
inoculation surge, has a funding gap of $30 million to carry out another campaign, according to the World Bank
Irregular power supply jeopardises the vaccine cold chain
Doses expire."We don't have any problem with the number of vaccines anymore
It's only a problem with uptake and the money to get those vaccines out to people," said Joseph Dwomor Ankrah, who manages the country's
COVID-19 vaccine distribution.Niger, where only 6% of the population is fully vaccinated, lacks enough cold storage for vaccines in its vast
rural areas, or motorbikes to distribute them, according to the World Bank.There have been some successes; Ethiopia has vaccinated 15
million people in a nationwide push since mid-February, for example.Yet uptake is "abysmally low" in the tiny state of Gambia, said Mustapha
Bittaye, director of health services.The African Union wants Gambia to take delivery of more than 200,000 doses, but the country is still
working through an old batch and doesn't need more, Bittaye said.In Zambia, where coverage is 11%, officials are planning outreach campaigns
but worry they won't be able to cover the cost of feeding doctors working far from home or pay for their transport.In Sierra Leone, where
14% of the population is fully vaccinated, radio stations sometimes refuse to broadcast the government's pro-vaccine messages because of
unpaid invoices, said Solomon Jamiru, the country's COVID-19 spokesmanA World Bank fund for vaccine purchases and rollouts has sent $3.6
billion to sub-Saharan Africa
Of that, only $520 million has been spent
Amit Dar, the bank's human development director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said outdated health systems had struggled to absorb the
funding.Health experts say more funding was needed at the start of the pandemic for logistics and training."The fact that we didn't invest
heavily a year or 18 months ago is a big part of what we are seeing now," said Emily Janoch, a senior director at aid group Care USA
"These are the consequences of earlier failures."
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com