{"id":161996,"date":"2021-11-24T21:17:50","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T21:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/covids-aftershocks-rich-countries-discard-vaccine-doses-poor-countries-go-without\/"},"modified":"2024-01-23T11:30:05","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T11:30:05","slug":"covid-booster-first-dose-inequality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/covid-booster-first-dose-inequality\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID’s Aftershocks: Rich countries discard vaccine doses, poor countries go without"},"content":{"rendered":"

Top news<\/h2>\n

Face, meet palm:\u00a0<\/strong>At least 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been thrown away<\/a>\u00a0since last December in Canada, roughly 2.6% of the total number of doses delivered across the country. Some pharmacists are still being encouraged to throw away unused doses, rather than give them to non-eligible people. Meanwhile,\u00a0only 6.9% of Africa\u2019s population<\/a>\u00a0is fully vaccinated and COVID-19 deaths\u00a0have increased the fastest<\/a>\u00a0in low-income countries, which have the lowest vaccination rates globally. Strive Masiyiwa, head of the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, says the African continent\u00a0can no longer rely\u00a0on donations and vaccines produced abroad and instead must build out its own vaccine infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Going for bold<\/strong>: On Sunday, Kenya announced that unvaccinated people\u00a0will be banned<\/a>\u00a0from certain places \u2014 including hospitals, bars, restaurants, and hotels \u2014 after 21 December. Less than 9% of the country\u2019s population has been vaccinated,\u00a0raising concerns<\/a>\u00a0about the feasibility and impact of the edict and timeline. The government plans to launch a 10-day mass vaccination campaign on Friday.<\/p>\n

Abolish royalty<\/strong>: For the first time, low- and middle-income countries\u00a0will have royalty-free access<\/a>\u00a0to a COVID-19 antibodies test. This could significantly advance those countries\u2019 ability to track COVID-19\u2019s spread and could compensate for another COVID-19 inequality: The daily testing rate for COVID-19\u00a0is 55 times higher<\/a>\u00a0in high-income countries compared to low-income countries. The antibodies test, which detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after an infection or vaccination, could also inform decisions on the need for boosters. This advancement comes thanks to a non-exclusive licensing agreement between the Spanish National Research Council and the WHO\u2019s Medicines Patent Pool.<\/p>\n

Inequality on display<\/strong>: As shoppers in wealthier countries invade stores this Black Friday looking for deals on the latest tech gadgets and toys, more than half of the world\u2019s population is still trying to get its first COVID-19 vaccine dose. The disparity between the number of booster shots administered globally and first doses in low-income countries is increasing exponentially, at a rate of more than 6 to 1. Here\u2019s what global vaccine inequality looks like, in one image.\u2026 ??<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Malaria\u2019s silver-lining?<\/strong>\u00a0Malaria exposure may reduce COVID-19 severity<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>according to two new studies based on research from Mali and Uganda. Researchers in both countries found lower incidences of severe disease, hospitalization, and death for people exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in areas with high malaria rates. Amongst COVID-19 patients in Uganda, researchers found a link between previous malaria infection and lower levels of cytokines, a surge of proteins that cause an inflammatory response and tissue damage.<\/p>\n

A hurdle to summit:\u00a0<\/strong>During his trip to Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that US President Joe Biden\u00a0plans to hold a summit<\/a>\u00a0with African leaders (date not specified). Blinken signaled the Biden administration\u2019s intent to overhaul the US\u2019s relationship with Africa, which hit its nadir during the Trump years. Blinken\u00a0got to see firsthand<\/a>\u00a0the outsized influence China wields across Africa, which has long made the continent a strategic priority while the US\u2019s focus was elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Locking down motivations:<\/strong>\u00a0People\u2019s risk perception of COVID-19<\/a>\u00a0plays a large role in adhering to lockdown protocols. That\u2019s according to a new study conducted in The Gambia, which matches findings from other African countries. It highlights that accurate pandemic information led to higher rates of citizens correctly understanding the severity of the disease and acting accordingly. Stigma and reputational risks also are strong drivers for people to follow lockdown rules, but at the cost of increased mental trauma and potential discrimination.<\/p>\n

Dimming prospects?\u00a0<\/strong>An agreement to waive COVID-19 intellectual property (IP) rights\u00a0appears increasingly unlikely\u00a0after the TRIPS Council failed (yet again) to reach an agreement. Or is it? The council agreed to continue meeting ahead of the WTO\u2019s 12th Ministerial Conference next week, and\u00a0its chair pledged<\/a>\u00a0\u201cto make sure that no stone is left unturned\u201d to reach an agreement. A\u00a0new coalition government<\/a>\u00a0in Germany\u00a0might\u00a0<\/em>support a waiver<\/a>, which would be a reversal from the previous government\u2019s position and potentially weaken the EU\u2019s opposition. More than two-thirds of the WTO\u2019s 164 members, including most low- and middle-income countries, has pushed for a waiver on IP related to COVID-19 treatments, tests, and vaccines for the past year, so far to no avail. Tick tock.<\/p>\n

Seeking approval:\u00a0<\/strong>Pfizer and BioNTech\u00a0applied for approval<\/a>\u00a0of their COVID-19 vaccine for use as a booster in South Africa. If approved, it would be the country\u2019s first approved booster. This comes as COVID-19 cases in South Africa\u00a0are once again on the rise<\/a>, with daily cases surging more than 11-fold over the past week, according to ONE\u2019s\u00a0Africa COVID-19 Tracker. With a third of South African adults fully vaccinated, and the potential of an approved booster on the horizon, experts hope a potential fourth COVID-19 wave would be less severe than previous waves.<\/p>\n

Supply unchained:<\/strong>\u00a0COVID-19 supply chain disruptions and high shipping costs are causing retailers in South Africa\u00a0to rethink their reliance<\/a>\u00a0on Asian imports and to source more products locally. Supply chain bottlenecks are wreaking havoc on the global economy,\u00a0fueling rapid inflation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0delaying deliveries<\/a>\u00a0by weeks or months. This all could\u00a0negatively impact<\/a>\u00a0heavily indebted low-income countries if interest rates rise in response.<\/p>\n

FOCACal point:<\/strong>\u00a0The\u00a0Forum on China\u2013Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)<\/a>\u00a0is next week, and we\u2019re abuzz with the possibility that China could recycle 25% of its $41 billion SDRs and channel them toward the African Development Bank. This precedent-setting move would be in Africa\u2019s and China\u2019s (and everyone\u2019s!) interests, and would\u00a0build on growing cooperation<\/a>\u00a0between the continent and its biggest bilateral trade partner.<\/p>\n

The numbers<\/h2>\n