COVID-19 vaccine inequity in African low-income countries

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Gowokani Chijere Chirwa¹  Wingston Ng'ambi²  Chifundo Annessia Kunyenje²  Dominic Nkhoma²  Emmanuel Mnjowe²  Joseph Mfutso-Bengo²  Lucky Gift Ngwira²  Sebastian M. Mboma²  Marlen Stacey Chawani³  Amelia Crampin⁴  Ben Chilima⁵  Collins Mitambo⁶ 

[1] Department of Economics, Chancellor College, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi;Department of Health Systems, Health Economics and Policy Unit, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Lilongwe, Malawi;Department of Health Systems, Health Economics and Policy Unit, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Lilongwe, Malawi;Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme, Policy Unit, Lilongwe, Malawi;Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit, Lilongwe, Malawi;Ministry of Health, Public Health Institute of Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi;Ministry of Heath, Research Directorate, Lilongwe, Malawi;

关键词: COVID-19 vaccine;    vaccine equity;    vaccine coverage;    distribution;    uptake;    low-income countries;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1087662

 received in 2022-11-02, accepted in 2023-02-14,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Equitable access and utilization of the COVID-19 vaccine is the main exit strategy from the pandemic. This paper used proceedings from the Second Extraordinary Think-Tank conference, which was held by the Health Economics and Policy Unit at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in collaboration with the Malawi Ministry of Health, complemented by a review of literature. We found disparities in COVID-19 vaccine coverage among low-income countries. This is also the case among high income countries. The disparities are driven mainly by insufficient supply, inequitable distribution, limited production of the vaccine in low-income countries, weak health systems, high vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine misconceptions. COVID-19 vaccine inequity continues to affect the entire world with the ongoing risks of emergence of new COVID-19 variants, increased morbidity and mortality and social and economic disruptions. In order to reduce the COVID-19 vaccination inequality in low-income countries, there is need to expand COVAX facility, waive intellectual property rights, transform knowledge and technology acquired into vaccines, and conduct mass COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Kunyenje, Chirwa, Mboma, Ng'ambi, Mnjowe, Nkhoma, Ngwira, Chawani, Chilima, Mitambo, Crampin and Mfutso-Bengo.