The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa supported the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19, even in countries that reported variants of the disease.
“While a vaccine that protects against all forms of Covid-19 disease is our greatest hope, preventing serious cases and hospitalizations that overwhelm hospitals and health systems is crucial,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for health. Africa, press briefing Thursday.
The second wave of Covid-19 in Africa, which peaked in January, was more deadly than the first, according to Dr. Moeti. “Deaths have increased by 40% in the last 28 days compared to the previous 28 days,” she noted.
The increase in deaths on the continent has left health workers and health systems “dangerously overburdened,” she said.
With the launch of vaccines, “if the cases remain mostly mild and moderate and do not require critical care, then we can save many lives,” added Dr. Moeti.
In addition to the increase in deaths, Covid-19 variants are spreading across the continent, with seven other countries now reporting variant B.1.351 that was first detected in South Africa, including Ghana, Kenya, Comoros, Botswana , Mozambique and Zambia.
Two people who traveled from Tanzania to the United Kingdom carried the variant linked to South Africa, although Tanzania has not updated Covid-19 data since late April and denies that the virus exists in the country.
Vaccines are not yet being widely administered in Africa, but WHO expects substantive implementations to begin in March.
Separately, WHO recognized two fatal cases in a new Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 200 contacts are being tracked.