Britain’s decision not to recognise Covid-19 vaccinations administered in Africa was regrettable to say the least, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said.
The Africa CDC said Britain’s decision not to recognise travellers who got vaccinated in Africa went “against the spirit of solidarity and cooperation” in fighting the worldwide pandemic now in its second year.
“This is discriminatory considering that Africa has been receiving AstraZeneca jabs from the same Britain through the UN World Health Organisation’s COVAX facility,” Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong said on Saturday.
“The United Kingdom has been an instrumental partner in supplying vaccines to the continent, and which we appreciate very much,” Nkengasong said.
He added: “If in the same token, you send us vaccines and we use them, and you say you don’t recognise people that have been vaccinated with those vaccines, then it is a very challenging message for us.”
According to the African health organisation, “this is a message which creates confusion within our own population, and a message that doesn’t really speak to solidarity and cooperation that we all believe are the cornerstones and ingredients for us to emerge out of this pandemic together.”
Britain said it was working with countries globally to recognise more vaccine certification programmes — but for now African travellers are banned.
Africa has vaccinated about 2 percent of her 1.2 billion population, the least number of people to take the jab worldwide.
NM/as/APA