Africa ‘needs to get ready for Covid-19 vaccine’

The World Health Organization has warned that African countries are far from ready to roll out a Covid-19 vaccine, whenever one becomes available.

It found that only a third of countries on the continent have a health infrastructure capable of conducting mass vaccination campaigns.

Countries are now being urged to prepare for the arrival of a vaccine as soon as possible.

The WHO says only half of the countries on the continent have set aside funding and identified priority cases who will receive the vaccine first.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccinating people will be a big challenge.

Its director, Dr John Nkegasong, has said the process might not start until the second quarter of next year.

Africa CDC hopes to vaccinate at least 60% of people on the continent, arguing that this should help achieve herd immunity.

Until then, people have been urged to rely on the public health measures that have been put in place to prevent further spread of Covid-19.

There are now more than 2.1 million cases on the continent – less than 4% of the global total.