BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
Nations around the world are engaged in collecting vaccines against COVID-19. The effort though seems tiresome and full of hectic value chains, last week Ethiopia secured in receiving 2.2 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines under the global COVAX scheme and confirmed to launch a vaccination program in the coming weeks.
Following the arrival of the vaccine, Dr Lia Tadesse, Health Minister, noted that Ethiopia is planning to vaccinate 20 percent of its population against the pandemic by the end of 2021. The first jabs would be administered in the coming days.
This first shipment of vaccines will support the vaccination of health care workers, people over 50 years of age and people with comorbidities, it is said.
“After a long wait of uncertainty, hope has become a reality,” Dr. Lia said at a ceremony at the airport in the capital Addis Ababa.
The Ministry also noted that the number of new COVID-19 infections and deaths from the virus is increasing rapidly in the country.
“We are very pleased that Ethiopia is receiving its first COVAX vaccine doses,” said Charlie Whetham, Regional Head, Asia Pacific and Anglophone Africa at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Thanks to the work of the Government of Ethiopia and of the COVAX partners, and with the support of our donors, we are delivering on our promise to begin vaccinating vulnerable populations around the world.”
“The arrival of the vaccines in Addis Ababa is a major milestone, a turn of the tides for the better, in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the coordinated global action for equitable vaccine distribution,” Dr. Boureima Hama Sambo, WHO Representative in Ethiopia, said.
WHO will continue to work with the Government of Ethiopia and global partners to ensure that Ethiopia receives, deploys and administers adequate quantities of COVID-19 vaccines to the Ethiopian people, because as WHO has repeatedly said, no one is safe until everyone is safe, he remarked.
Dr. Lia also hailed Covax as “an unprecedented global partnership,” adding: “The more people get vaccinated, the faster we are going to beat this pandemic.”
“We have lost more than 2,400 of our brothers and sisters, and we know the real numbers could be much higher,” Dr. Lia added.
Sunday’s delivery is part of the first wave of arrivals of the Covid-19 vaccines in Ethiopia that will continue in the coming weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) disclosed in a statement.
The Minster also expressed the Ethiopian Government’s appreciation of the COVAX Facility, vaccine manufacturers and global development partners.
“What seemed unattainable a few months ago is now in our hands and, with it, the assurance of protecting our people, and a hope that we can beat the pandemic through cascaded and equitable vaccination of the population alongside other public health measures,” she said. “Ethiopia is proud to have contributed to this global effort representing the African Region.”
The vaccines were produced within a year of the WHO Director-General’s declaration of the novel Coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This is the first time in history that vaccines were produced in such a short time, a result of the tremendous efforts in vaccine research, development and manufacture. The arrival of the vaccines in Ethiopia was made possible through the COVAX Facility with the generous support of partners that spared no efforts or resources to ensure the timely and equitable distribution of vaccines across the globe.
COVAX is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
For several months, COVAX partners have been supporting governments in readiness efforts, in preparation for COVID-19 vaccination deployment. They have been especially active in working with countries like Ethiopia so they can benefit from the Advance Market Commitment (AMC), an innovative financial mechanism to help secure global and equitable access for COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX partners supported the development of national vaccination plans and strengthening of cold chain capacities.
COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organisations, manufacturers, and development partners. COVAX is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
COVAX has built a diverse portfolio of vaccines suitable for a range of settings and populations, and is on track to meet its goal of delivering at least 2 billion doses of vaccine to participating countries around the globe in 2021, including at least 1.3 billion donor-funded doses to the 92 lower-income COVAX Facility participants supported by the Gavi COVAX AMC.
Neighboring Djibouti also received its first AstraZeneca vaccines via Covax this weekend, the WHO announced last week.
Ethiopia has so far reported 165, 029 COVID-19 cases, with 137, 785 recoveries and 2,420 deaths.
The Ethiopian herald March 11/2021
