The scenes in India have been horrendous regarding COVID-19 vaccines. There is a severe shortage of vaccines and not enough hospital beds for patients to be treated with the virus. The Indian government has put a plan in place for the nation to recover, but many questions still need to be answered.
It appears that Africa is starting to follow the same trajectory as India because of the lack of vaccines throughout the continent. Some areas of Africa are at a higher risk than others, which has caused governments to speak out for help.
No COVID-19 Second Immunization
The most significant issue in third-world countries has been the inability to receive the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines. Many people in these areas have not received one dosage because of the shortage.
However, the second shot has been the most significant issue because programs to help third-world areas like COVAX are fading. The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Alliance, known as COVAX, delivered one million doses to Kenya.
The principle of the program was to supply free and cheap vaccines to third-world countries. This program worked for a short time, but vaccine shortages have disrupted the distribution. Kenya has been successful with vaccine distribution, but there are still problems in the nation.
Although, other parts of Africa are much worse off than Kenya, which is concerning.
Why is COVAX Dwindling
COVAX is reliant on COVID vaccine manufacturers in India. The factories in India supply most of the vaccines for the initiative. These factories have diverged from making vaccines for other continents to focus on the issues in India.
India’s shortage is expected to impact many areas of the world because of the massive amount of production coming out of these factories. Kenya, which was efficiently supplying vaccines, is having trouble finding second doses for their at-risk populations.
The first dose of most COVID vaccines provides some protection, but it’s not enough to prevent death for elderly patients. Additionally, there are fears that the first doses will start to provide limited protection if the second vaccine is not delivered in a reasonable timeline.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has guaranteed that citizens will receive a second dose if administered the first shot. Nevertheless, there are countless skeptics throughout the nation.
A Projected Timeline
Kenya is expected to run out of the first dose of COVID vaccines early next week. The country has used 87% of its allotted amounts. If the second doses are not granted, there is a significant risk for another virus wave in the country.
Health experts previously have said that the pandemic will not be over until the virus is eliminated in underprivileged countries. This is turning into the narrative because of the limited vaccines worldwide.
Forty million doses were affected in March, and 50 million disappeared in April because the Indian factories transitioned to supplying vaccines domestically.
Dr. Willis Akhwale, the head of Kenya’s vaccine task force, has stated that “This is not a good situation. We put a lot of effort to get confidence in vaccination. It began slowly, but we accelerated well. Now the demand for vaccines is there, and if we aren’t going to get adequate doses, it is going to impact our plan.”
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