Bloomberg: Nigeria Plans to Approve Covid-19 Vaccine Early Next Year
“Nigeria expects to license by April one of the vaccines under development globally for Covid-19, the West African nation’s drugs regulator said. … Africa’s most-populous country also expects to benefit from the World Health Organization-backed Covax initiative, which is working to improve access to vaccines for 92 low- and medium-income countries, [National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Director-General Mojisola] Adeyeye said…” (Clowes, 12/10).

Reuters: Africa disease control head calls on rich nations to share excess COVID-19 shots
“Countries that have ordered more COVID-19 vaccines than they need should consider distributing excess doses to Africa, the head of the continent’s disease control body said on Thursday. … As African countries begin to feel the effects of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said it was unlikely to secure enough vaccine shots. Many African states are relying on COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working to lower prices and discourage hoarding…” (Mohammed, 12/10).

Washington Post: The coronavirus is ravaging the world. But life looks almost normal in much of Africa
“…While testing has been comparatively limited, the continent appears to have bucked the doomsday predictions of global health experts. The telltale signs of severe outbreaks seen elsewhere — crowded hospitals and a spike in deaths — have emerged in only a handful of African countries. … But even as more research emerges, public health experts caution that the explanation for why Africa’s caseload has remained low will be complicated…” (Bearak/Paquette, 12/11).

Xinhua: WHO says community involvement key to seamless launch of COVID-19 vaccine in Africa
“African governments should embark on proactive engagement with local communities to boost uptake of COVID-19 vaccine once they are deployed in the continent, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said that involving communities at every stage of the vaccine’s roll-out will help dispel misinformation that could undermine inoculation of high-risk groups…” (12/11).