Data | Low-income countries have received only 0.27% of the COVID-19 vaccine doses administered so far

Due to wide disparity in vaccine supply, of the 52 countries in Africa, 38 have given at least one dose to <5% of population

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa receives the Johnson and Johnson coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination at the Khayelitsha Hospital near Cape Town, South Africa. File photo

Low-income countries have received only 0.27% of the COVID-19 doses administered worldwide while high-income countries (30%) and upper-middle-income countries (52%) have acquired more than 80%. Of the 27 nations termed as low-income, 23 are in Africa. Due to this wide disparity in vaccine supply, of the 52 countries in Africa, 38 have given at least one dose to <5% of population. Worryingly, many African countries have recorded a recent uptick in cases, most of which were due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Vaccine inequity

The map shows % the population that has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the chart depicts the share of doses administered across various income groups of countries. While 27% of the global population has received at least one dose, Africa lags with only 3.13% of the population vaccinated with at least one dose.

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Wide disparities exist in the vaccination drive across various income groups of countries. When the global vaccination drive began, the high-income countries cornered most of the doses in the market, given the aggressive inoculation campaign. After a majority of the population was covered, the upper-middle-income countries dominated the purchase of doses. In contrast, the lower-middle and low-income countries continue to suffer.

Looming threat of Delta variant

The map depicts the biweekly change in COVID-19 infections and the table lists the share of the Delta variant in cases sequenced in select African countries. Africa’s share in global cases has remained low for a large part of the pandemic. However, since June, sharp spikes were recorded across many countries in the continent. For instance, Botswana and Algeria recorded a biweekly growth of 119% and 134% in new cases.

The Delta variant is responsible for the majority of the cases across many countries which maintain recent data. The Delta variant accounts for 100%, 80% and 60% of the cases in Zambia, Botswana and South Africa, respectively.

Observations:

■ South Africa and Tunisia, which have been contributing the most cases in Africa recently, have administered at least one dose to 7.6% and 13.5% of their populations, respectively.

■ Nigeria and Ethiopia, which are highly populated countries, have administered at least one dose to only 1.2% and 1.9% of their populations, respectively.

■ In Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (370 avg. cases per day at its peak), Burkina Faso, Benin, South Sudan, Madagascar (600 cases/day at its peak) and Mali (207 cases/day), less than 1% of the population has been administered at least one dose.

Source: OurWorldInData, World Bank