People in Abidjan were relieved to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday after international health authorities said the vaccine does not increase blood clots’ overall incidence. However, they couldn’t rule out a link to a small number of rare clots.
Several European countries temporarily halted the AstraZeneca vaccine’s use due to concerns about blood clots but resumed use after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave its approval on Thursday.
While the Ivory Coast’s vaccination campaign, which began in early March, was not halted, some of those who were to receive the vaccine were concerned about its safety. Mohamed Kouyate, an Abidjan resident, said people were “concerned” when countries like France decided to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine, but he decided to get it after the EMA gave it the green light.
The COVAX program allowed the West African nation to be one of the first on the continent to receive AstraZeneca vaccines.
President of the African Development Bank, Mr. Adesina urged nations to avoid “vaccine nationalism” and stated that his organization would assist the African continent in “getting organized and producing both therapeutic drugs and vaccines.”
It’s either the AstraZeneca vaccine or nothing for some developed countries because it’s cheaper and easier to store than others. Because it lacks doses from other pharmaceutical companies, the Democratic Republic of Congo had suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, halting its vaccination campaign even before it began.
The suspension has heightened vaccine skepticism; Abidjan market worker Simplice Toure has said he will not receive the vaccine after health officials deemed it “problematic.”
Africa, which has a total of 1.3 billion people, hopes to vaccinate 60% of its inhabitants by 2022. The waning confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine will only exacerbate Africa’s challenges in implementing its vaccination campaigns.
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