The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa has supported the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19, even in countries reporting variants of the disease.
“While a vaccine that protects against all forms of Covid-19 disease is our greatest hope, it is critical to prevent serious cases and hospitalizations that overwhelm hospitals and health systems,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa, in a press. briefing Thursday.
The second wave of Covid-19 in Africa, which peaked in January, was according to Dr. Moeti more deadly than the first wave. “Deaths are up 40% in the last 28 days compared to the previous 28 days,” she noted.
The spike in deaths across the continent has “dangerously overloaded” health workers and health systems, she said.
With the introduction of vaccines, “if cases usually remain mild and moderate and do not require critical care, we can save many lives,” added Dr. Moeti adds.
In addition to an increase in deaths, variants of Covid-19 are spreading across the continent, with seven other countries now reporting the B.1.351 variant first discovered in South Africa, including Ghana, Kenya, Comoros , Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia.
Two people traveling from Tanzania to the UK were found to be carrying the variant related to South Africa, although Tanzania has not updated data on Covid-19 as of late April and denies that the virus exists in the country.
Vaccines are not yet widely administered in Africa, but the WHO expects the substantial rollout to begin in March.
Separately, the WHO recognized two fatalities in a new Ebola outbreak in North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 200 contacts are being tracked.