Zambia Allocated 8.7 Million Doses Of Covid-19 Vaccines
By Patricia Male
Zambia has been allocated 8.7 million doses of covid-19 vaccines under a facility being pioneered by the Africa Union.
Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Emmanuel Mwamba announced the development saying the initiative is being done under the Covid-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) a platform which has been created to ensure that up to 60% of Africa’s population were vaccinated against the coronavirus by December 2021.
Mr. Mwamba said AVATT was created by President Cyril Ramaphosa, chairperson of the African Union, in November 2020 whose mandate is to secure the necessary vaccines and blended financing resources for achieving Africa’s covid-19 vaccination strategy which targets vaccinating a minimum of 60% of Africa’s population.
He explained that AVATT’s efforts are focused on securing enough safe and efficacious vaccine doses to vaccinate at least 60% of the African population, estimating the funding needs for vaccine procurement and delivery and creating the financing mechanisms required to ensure that all au member states can access and receive the vaccine doses they need to reach a minimum of 60% immunization.
Mr. Mwamba said under the mechanism, the vaccines are being sourced from PfIZER, Johnson and Johnson, and AstraZeneca.
PfIZER and Johnson’s &Johnson’s are among the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, while AstraZeneca plc is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical.
He said a finance facility has been created under the AVATT- the Advance Procurement Commitment (APC) facility to be backed by African Import and Export Bank (afreximbank).
Mr. Mwamba indicated that this mechanism aims at ensuring Africa’s access to the covid-19 vaccines from no later than April 2021, by providing assurance to identified vaccine manufacturers that vaccine orders placed through the African Medical Supplies Platform, are firm and will be paid for as may be agreed.
The task team has provisionally secured 270 million vaccine doses for Africa for the critical period from April to December 2021 while Zambia’s allocation may rise to 25 million doses by December 2021.
He said the vaccines will obtain prior approval by AVATT on the recommendation of the Africa-CDC.
This is contained in a statement issued by Inutu Mwanza, First Secretary for Press and Tourism at the Zambian High Commission in Addis, Abba, Ethiopia.
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