COVID-19 vaccination: The problem with low vaccination rates is due to limited supplies, but experts suggest other challenges which include a weak health care system, vaccine hesitancy amongst people and unpredictable deliveries.
According to an officer for the World Health Organization’s regional office for Africa, Phionah Atuhebwe, up till February, there were only 13 countries in Africa that had fully vaccinated less than 5% of the population. Apart from Africa, other countries with low vaccination rates include Syria, Yemen, Haiti and Papua New Guinea.
Many developing countries until last year were plagued by a lack of supplies, as rich countries hoarded the vaccine doses and many didn’t even have the facilities to make their own vaccines. COVAX — an initiative to distribute equal vaccines around the world also faltered out in delivering the vaccination shots.
Many rich countries were planning on donating the doses to such countries once their population was fully vaccinated, but due to the emergence of delta and omicron variants, the need for booster campaigns further delayed the plans. There were many vaccine makers that had denied sharing the technology or formula, which further restricted the production.
Apart from this, there have been other vaccination setbacks that have emerged.
According to Dina Borzekowski, director of the Global Health Initiative at the University of Maryland, one of the main reasons for low vaccination or low shot distribution is poor infrastructure, which includes reliable electricity and a safe sanitation system.
There are times when many donate vaccines at times of close expiration dates, which gives health officials very little time to distribute them and then there are some countries that don’t have the resources to keep the vaccines at the right temperature and also lack in important things like syringes, for injecting the patients.
Another reason for low vaccination or vaccine hesitancy is distrust of governments and misinformation amongst the population.
