By Cecile Mantovani Ayenat Mersie

GENEVA/NAIROBI (Reuters) – Only 15 of Africa’s 54 nations have fully vaccinated 10% of their populations against COVID-19 and many frontline health workers remain at risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Council of Nurses (ICN) said on Thursday.

In the face of what the WHO calls “opaque distribution plans” and “bottlenecks”, they called for accelerated vaccination of those most at-risk on Africa.

According to the United Nations, nearly 90% of countries with high incomes met their WHO goal of vaccinating 10% or more of all health workers by September 30.

The WHO regional office Brazzaville stated that half of 52 African countries who have been vaccinated with COVID-19 have vaccinated their entire population.

Howard Catton (chief executive officer) of Geneva-based ICN told Reuters that the ICN analysed data in nine African countries.

The data showed that about a third were still waiting to receive their first vaccine, and just 10% had received the full vaccination.

He stated that despite all the promises we were not receiving the vaccine. This is both a crisis in health and human rights. “Nurses and health workers today are going to work, knowing they are at greater risk. However, they do not have the vaccine protection.”

He stated that in the interim, vaccines are being administered to children by some countries richer than others.

You know what? We just saw a billionaire launch a medical worker to space. But, there are millions of people who need vaccines. They shouldn’t have to wish on a star for a vaccine, they should be prioritized,” Catton said.

Richard Mihigo, coordinator for the WHO’s Immunization and Vaccines Development Programme Africa, told a briefing: “What the data is showing us – in the 39 countries where we were able to collect that information, 8% of all the doses administered in those 39 countries were administered to healthcare workers.”

He said that some healthcare workers living in rural areas were not reached.