African countries no longer want vaccine donations on short notice
BEIJING - China has offered to deliver another billion Covid-19 vaccines to Africa, but AU member states say they no longer want ad hoc donations “with little notice and short shelf lives.”
Speaking at the opening of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac) via video link-up on Monday, China’s President Xi Jinping said his country would donate 600 million doses of its flagship Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, while an additional 400 million doses would be provided through bilateral arrangements with AU countries.
So far, China accounted for 200 million Covid-19 vaccines supplied to Africa and was the single biggest global vaccine manufacturer.
The Economist Intelligence Unit puts China’s share of the market at 50 percent.
China’s pledge coincided with the discovery of the new Omicron variant which resulted in travel bans imposed on southern African countries. In a joint statement issued by the AU Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), member states said over 90 million doses were delivered via bilateral arrangement, but that administering them had proven extremely challenging.
“... the majority of the donations to date (has) been ad hoc, provided with little notice and short shelf lives. This has made it extremely challenging for countries to plan vaccination campaigns and increase absorptive capacity.”
The AU said:
Countries need (a) predictable and reliable supply. Having to plan at short notice and ensure uptake of doses with short shelf lives exponentially magnifies the logistical burden on health systems that are already stretched.
In June, Zimbabwe turned down three million doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. Harare did not have the storage facilities needed for the vaccines, drawing criticism at a time when there was a vaccine shortage.
The AU said numerous member states faced human resources, infrastructure, and cold chain constraints.
With China set to donate the vaccines from next week, the AU said donated vaccines should have a minimum 10 weeks shelf life.
“As a default, donated doses should have a minimum of 10 weeks shelf life when they arrive in a country, with limited exceptions only where recipient countries indicate a willingness and ability to absorb doses with shorter shelf lives,” said the AU. – NEWS24.