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. 2023 Jun 2;117(6):470-472.
doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trac130.

COVID-19 vaccine equity in Africa

Natasha Turyasingura  1 , Wilmot G James  2 , Sten H Vermund  1
Affiliations

COVID-19 vaccine equity in Africa

Natasha Turyasingura et al. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dominated global health discourse since early 2020. By early 2021, the unprecedented speed of vaccine development against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by government, academia and industry contributed biotechnological tools to reduce severe COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. However, vaccine distribution has not been equitable. We address one element of this challenge, namely the low COVID-19 vaccination rates in African countries, which lag behind higher-income nations. We evaluate key obstacles to initiatives addressing this inequity and emphasize Africa-based research and development as a sustainable solution to ensuring vaccine equity in Africa.

Keywords: Africa; COVID-19 vaccines; global health; health equity; health services accessibility; vulnerable populations.

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Conflict of interest statement

SHV has been supported by Sinovac for a vaccine effectiveness study in the Dominican Republic.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A summary of vaccine manufacturing on the African continent, courtesy of Myriam Grubo, Medicines Patent Pool. IPD: Institut Pasteur de Dakar; J&J: Johnson & Johnson; SII: Serum Institute of India; TBD: to be determined; WITS: University of Witwatersrand.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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