BRAZZAVILLE: Africa needs over 20 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine within six weeks if those who have had their first shot are to get the second in time, the WHO said Thursday.
“Africa needs vaccines now,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa.
“Any pause in our vaccination campaigns will lead to lost lives and lost hope.”
The WHO statement underlined the importance of respecting the recommended interval of eight to 12 weeks between doses to ensure a recipient’s prolonged 81-percent protection rate.
“In addition to this urgent need, another 200 million doses of any WHO Emergency Use Listed COVID-19 vaccine are needed so that the continent can vaccinate 10 percent of its population by September 2021,” the statement added.
As of May 26 Africa had registered more than 4.7 million cases of coronavirus with nearly 130,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
Africa needs 20 mn second AstraZeneca jabs in six weeks: WHO
https://arab.news/z2zkf
Africa needs 20 mn second AstraZeneca jabs in six weeks: WHO
- ‘Africa needs vaccines now’ said the World Health Organization's Regional Director for Africa
- Any pause in our vaccination campaigns will lead to lost lives and lost hope
UK upper house approves social media ban for under-16s
LONDON: Britain’s upper house of parliament voted Wednesday in favor of banning under?16s from using social media, raising pressure on the government to match a similar ban passed in Australia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he was not ruling out any options and pledged action to protect children, but his government wants to wait for the results of a consultation due this summer before legislating.
Calls have risen across the opposition and within the governing Labour party for the UK to follow Australia, where under-16s have been barred from social media applications since December 10.
The amendment from opposition Conservative lawmaker John Nash passed with 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co?sponsored by a Labour and a Liberal Democrat peer.
“Tonight, peers put our children’s future first,” Nash said. “This vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation.”
Before the vote, Downing Street said the government would not accept the amendment, which now goes to the Labour-controlled lower House of Commons. More than 60 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to back a ban.
Public figures including actor Hugh Grant urged the government to back the proposal, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
Some child-protection groups warn a ban would create a false sense of security.
A YouGov poll in December found 74 percent of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age?verification for harmful content.
