France to send 10 million Covid vaccine doses to Africa
A health worker administers a Covid-19 vaccine. France has pledged to give the African Union 10 million doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines in the next three months. PHOTO | FILE | NMG
The doses will be allocated and distributed in the framework of the AU's African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and Covax.
The AVAT initiative was set up as a pooled procurement mechanism for the AU members to be able to buy enough vaccines for at least 50 per cent of their needs and works closely with the Covax.
Earlier this month, WHO asked wealthy countries to temporarily halt the use of Covid-19 vaccine booster shots as poorer countries struggle to access the first dose.
