COVID–19 pandemic is still challenging global community causing unprecedented social and economic threats. The worst, the outbreak of the newly variant of the pandemic Delta variant, is exacerbating the situation following iruses’ unique features at variance with other strains – its rapid infectious rate and deadliness.
As researches indicate, Delta variant or B.1.617.2 was first identified in India in Dec. 2020. Within a matter of months, this particular variant spread to over 98 countries around the world, becoming the dominant variant in more than a dozen of those countries, including India, the U.K., Israel and the United States.
The variant is now causing death for more than 83 percent of COVID-19 cases being reported in the U.S. and, with only 48 percent of the total U.S. population fully vaccinated, conditions are ripe for continued evolution and spread of SARS-CoV-2.
Data indicate that Delta is 40-60 percent more transmissible than Alpha and almost twice as transmissible as the original Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, significantly more viral particles have been found in the airways of patients infected with the Delta variant. A Chinese study reported that viral loads in Delta infections were ~1,000 times higher than those in infections caused by other variants.
Following its distinctive features, the World Health Organization (WHO) regards Delta as “the fastest and fittest” variant so far.
Recently, Ministry of Health has reported the occurrences of the new variant – Delta Variant – in Ethiopia.
The Health Minister, Dr. Lia Tadesse told the media last Tuesday that since the past few weeks the number of new Coronavirus infections has been rapidly rising and causing deaths on many people over the past weeks. Number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units also surging with maximum rate, she added.
According to the Minister, the new Delta variant is affecting all age groups, and the virus is a more infectious and deadly than the previous ones.
Thus, she urged the community to adhere to COVID-19 precautions measures set to contain the spread of the pandemic. As to the daily report of the Ministry, as of Sep 7, 2021 the number of people infected by the virus has surged over 313 thousand and 4,804 died from the virus.
Meanwhile, last Monday, Ethiopia has received the first shipment of 108,000 Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses from the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) mechanism.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia has received its first monthly shipment of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) single-shot vaccine purchased through the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
The 108,000 doses were handed over to Health Minister, Dr. Lia Tadesse, at the Bole International Airport on last Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Lia said that the delivery is part of the historic COVID-19 vaccine advance procurement agreement signed on 28 March 2021 by AVAT for the purchase of 220 million doses of J&J vaccine, with the potential to order an additional 180 million doses.
She also expressed her gratitude to all AVAT partners – African Union, Africa CDC, Afreximbank, the World Bank, and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) – for supporting Africa’s fight against COVID-19, as Africa CDC reported.
“I am pleased to receive the first consignment of the 3 million doses of J&J vaccines” procured by her government through AVAT, stating “this will boost our national COVID-19 vaccination program.”
“AVAT is not only about vaccine acquisition. It is also a platform for collaboration with different partners to enhance local manufacturing. This is very important to us as we work on improving our manufacturing sector in Ethiopia,” Dr. Lia remarked.
The AVAT procurement marks the first time African Union Member states have collectively purchased vaccines to safeguard the health of the African population. In total, 400 million vaccines acquired through AVAT are sufficient to immunize a third of the African population.
Acknowledging ECA for supporting Ethiopia on many fronts, especially through the AfCFTA-anchored Pharma Initiative, which advocates for pooled procurement and local manufacturing in Africa’s pharmaceutical sector, the Minister said: “it is a great initiative and we hope will continue to grow and improve access to safe medicines and vaccines in our efforts to achieve universal health coverage.”
Africa CDC’s Director, Dr. John Nkengasong, on his part said that AVAT’s goal is to ensure that Africa gets enough vaccines to reach, at least, the 60 percent immunization target.
“What makes AVAT unique is that it is an African initiative for Africans,” said Dr. Nkengasong, adding “we see Africans stepping up to take their own health security into their hands and the governments are putting their own taxpayer money on the table with support from Afreximbank and World Bank.”
ECA’s Acting Director for Gender, Poverty and Social Policy, Edlam Yemeru, said she was delighted to see African Member States joining hands to address a common challenge through AVAT, which she described as a “major milestone” in Africa’s effort to ensure its health security.
“This clearly demonstrates that local production of essential medicines and vaccines is possible. It also shows the power of pooled procurement of pharmaceutical products as envisaged in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” said Ms Yemeru.
Edlam pointed out that the AfCFTA will provide African countries with even more opportunities to boost local production of pharmaceutical products and create millions of jobs, and that ECA remains committed to working with member states and partners to secure Africa’s health security and, by implication, Africa’s prosperity.
Doina Petrescu, Operations Manager at World Bank Ethiopia, congratulated Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health for leading the national vaccination program in partnership with COVAX and AVAT. She said, “since the beginning of COVID-19 the World Bank has provided Ethiopia with close to 300 million USD to fight the pandemic” and strengthen its health systems.
“The World Bank assures its partners of its commitment to continue providing financial and technical support to fight COVID-19,” Petrescu said.
The agreement with Johnson & Johnson was made possible through a USD 2 billion facility provided by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), who is also the Financial and Transaction Advisers, Guarantors, Instalment Payment facility providers and Payment Agents. The ECA provided technical support on the financing arrangements and on alignment of the African Union Ministers of Finance. UNICEF, in collaboration with the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP), is providing logistical ad delivery services to the Member States.
AVAT was established by the African COVID-19 Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, set up in November 2020 under the African Union chairmanship of President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, as part of the African Union’s COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access Strategy, and its goal of vaccinating at least 60 percent of the African population with safe and efficacious vaccines against COVID-19, it was learnt.
BY STAFF REPORTER
The Ethiopian Herald 9 September 2021
