Forty- African countries have started vaccination programs according to the Africa office of the World Health Organization, WHO.
Most of the countries listed received shots via the WHO-led equitable vaccine sharing platform, COVAX and a few others via bilateral deals.
WHO Africa disclosed that the COVAX Facility has supplied nearly 16 million doses to 28 countries since launching deliveries to the continent on 24 February.
The over 7.7 million shots administered so far targets high-risk population groups and frontline health workers in most of the countries.
Ghana was the first country to receive a COVAX consignment in late February when 600,000 shots of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines were received at the Kotoka International Airport, KIA.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also became the first person to receive a COVID-19 shot in early March.
He joins a number of African leaders who have publicly received their jabs and urged citizens to do same in a bid to control the fight the pandemic.
Angola
Congo Republic
Democratic Republic of Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Soa Tome and Principe
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
Seychelles
South Africa
South Sudan
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Algeria
Benin
Cape Verde
Ivory Coast
The Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
Morocco
Tunisia
Somalia
Sudan
Djibouti
Egypt
32 countries in Africa have begun vaccinating high-risk population groups against #COVID through #COVAX-funded vaccines & bilateral deals.
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) March 26, 2021
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More info: https://t.co/WI2la940up pic.twitter.com/NhhEYnTShj
Countries have made significant progress in reaching high-risk populations targeted in the initial phase of the rollout, including health workers, elderly people and people with conditions such as diabetes, which make them particularly vulnerable.
Ghana has administered over 470 000 doses, while Rwanda has delivered 345 000 doses. In Angola, health workers account for more than half of those vaccinated, WHO Africa said in a statement.
