WHO reported in late October that Covid-19 vaccination coverage has stagnated in half the countries in Africa. As of October 16, just 24% of the continent’s population had completed a primary vaccination series, compared to 64% globally. Although mass vaccination campaigns have been instrumental in boosting Covid-19 vaccine coverage—contributing to 85% of total doses administered in WHO’s African region—the number of people immunized has dropped significantly in the past few months. Reasons for dampening uptake include vaccine hesitancy and a low-risk perception of the pandemic, especially given the recent decline in cases. To galvanize campaign efforts, WHO is supporting countries as they assess their preparedness for immunization drives at provincial and district levels, helping them integrate Covid-19 vaccines in other planned mass vaccination campaigns, and deploying surge missions to countries as needed to improve vaccination drive quality. WHO
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