[ti:WHO Says Africa’s Thin Vaccine Supply to Drop 25 Percent]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.04]World Health Organization Africa director Matshidiso Moeti
[00:04.96]says that Africa will get 25 percent fewer COVID-19 vaccine doses
[00:11.64]than expected by the end of 2021.
[00:16.92]Her comments to reporters last week
[00:20.40]came as the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[00:25.32]said just over 3 percent of people in Africa have been fully vaccinated.
[00:32.52]African health officials were surprised by the announcement
[00:37.00]that the COVAX effort to give vaccines to low-and middle-income countries
[00:42.88]is again lowering its delivery expectations.
[00:48.84]The United Nations runs the COVAX plan,
[00:52.52]which was organized to make certain poorer countries get the vaccine.
[00:59.96]Moeti told reporters that the announcement was "in part
[01:04.28]because of the prioritization of bilateral deals
[01:08.32]over international solidarity."
[01:12.52]Moeti noted that certain COVAX difficulties,
[01:16.36]such as export controls on vaccine doses
[01:19.68]and the introduction of booster shots by some countries,
[01:23.36]are the reasons for the 25 percent reduction.
[01:28.08]A booster shot is an extra amount of a vaccine
[01:32.00]given to provide added protection against a disease.
[01:37.40]Moeti noted that COVAX has delivered
[01:40.52]over 5 million vaccine doses to African countries in September.
[01:47.28]But, she added, "three times as many doses have been thrown away
[01:51.92]in the United States alone" since March.
[01:56.40]"Every dose is precious," Moeti said.
[02:01.52]She said that wealthy countries have promised
[02:04.52]to share 1 billion doses worldwide,
[02:07.84]but, so far, only 120 million have been released.
[02:14.04]"If companies and countries prioritize vaccine equity,
[02:18.92]this pandemic would be over quickly," Moeti added.
[02:24.48]The WHO says the goal of vaccinating 10 percent of people in Africa
[02:30.64]by the end of September will not be met.
[02:35.28]The aim, now, is to vaccinate 40 percent by the end of the year.
[02:42.04]The Africa CDC says 145 million vaccine doses
[02:47.08]have been secured across the continent.
[02:51.16]About 111 million doses, or 77 percent, have been given out.
[02:59.08]Many more doses are needed, and there is worry.
[03:04.52]Some richer countries, including the United States,
[03:08.56]are beginning to give out booster shots, using up more vaccine.
[03:14.60]The WHO director-general called for a delay in giving out booster shots
[03:20.20]until the end of the year to deal with the severe vaccine inequality.
[03:27.72]John Nkengasong is the Africa CDC director.
[03:32.76]He told reporters last week
[03:35.28]that "the problem we have with the third (booster) doses
[03:38.80]is we have not seen enough science" to be certain it is necessary.
[03:44.88]Nkengasong said he fully understands that people with weak
[03:49.40]natural body defense systems against disease
[03:52.88]need to increase their protection.
[03:56.88]But for "otherwise healthy individuals,
[03:59.84]I just haven't seen enough science," he added.
[04:04.56]African countries have recently seen a strong increase in COVID case,
[04:10.04]driven mostly by the delta variant.
[04:14.36]But the WHO Africa director reported a decrease of nearly 25 percent
[04:20.32]in new cases at the beginning of the month.
[04:24.68]She said that is "the steepest drop in eight weeks since the peak in July."
[04:32.76]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM