New Report on COVID-19 in Africa Shows Willingness to get Vaccinated

Yinka Olatunbosun

As the Omicron variant puts Africa in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new research from the Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19 (PERC) indicates that an increasing number of people in African Union Member States are willing to get vaccinated.

Across 19 countries, 78 per cent of people surveyed by PERC indicated that they had been or were willing to get vaccinated.

Despite their willingness to get vaccinated, less than 7% of the African continent has been vaccinated as at November 2021.

This gap between acceptance and coverage demonstrates a substantial unmet need and underscores the importance of consistent and predictable vaccine supply as well as increased support for vaccination programs in Africa.

The latest PERC report considers why global vaccination efforts have been plagued by inequity, as well as the logistical challenges to vaccinating the African continent.

The report further outlines the continued importance of preventive measures—particularly individual measures such as masking and social distancing—that minimize the social or economic harm that can occur when mobility, economic and social gathering restrictions are imposed.

“We must work urgently toward equitable access to safe and effective vaccines on the African continent,” said Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. “The PERC data show that demand for vaccines is substantially higher than supply.”

At 78 per cent, vaccine acceptance was higher than in the previous PERC survey fielded earlier this year (67%), which may indicate the success of risk communication campaigns. In five surveyed countries—Guinea, Morocco, Mozambique, Tunisia and Zimbabwe—acceptance was 90 per cent or higher.

Vaccine acceptance was high among both those who trusted their government’s pandemic response and those who felt COVID-19 posed a personal risk to them or to their country. Such high acceptance contradicts media reports suggesting that low vaccination rates across Africa are due to hesitancy.

Among the 20 per cent of respondents who expressed vaccine hesitancy, the top reasons were: low risk perception (24 per cent), not having enough information about vaccines (22 per cent) and lack of trust in government (17 per cent).

The reasons for low risk perception are complex, but officials can take concrete action to address them by providing better information to people about COVID-19 and vaccines through trusted sources, particularly health care providers, coupled with consistent and reliable vaccine supply, can further increase acceptance. In the report, respondents’ top information sources included local health centers, television and radio.

A number of bottlenecks have contributed to the failure to achieve higher vaccination coverage. Unpredictable supply—in terms of volume, timing and shelf life—threatens countries’ ability to meet demand. When offered, vaccination is frequently inconvenient, requiring people to travel far distances or visit vaccination sites at inopportune times.

“I am heartened by the efforts of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and the COVAX facility to expand vaccine access,” said Amanda McClelland, Senior Vice President of Prevent Epidemics at Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies.

“But there is still work to do. Vaccine donations sent too close to expiry dates, for example, leave countries unable to launch effective vaccination campaigns.”

COVID-19 preventive measures remain crucial to mitigate the health impact of the virus. PERC researchers analyzed what influences support for and adherence to such measures and found that individual actions—handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing—all garnered support from at least 90 per cent of survey respondents.

Such high support suggests that these key measures can continue to be effective strategies for reducing COVID-19 transmission.

Preventive measures restricting gathering or movement received less support. Unemployment and food insecurity were widespread among survey respondents and made adherence to restrictive community measures a challenge. PERC researchers concluded that such measures should be targeted to specific, high-risk populations as needed to minimize harm.

Income loss also may have had an adverse impact on access to essential health services. Cost and affordability were cited as the primary obstacles to receiving care. Declines in the number of health visits have likely contributed to declines across key health indicators. PERC researchers advocate for urgent investment to stabilize health systems and regain progress lost during the pandemic.

“The PERC data enable policymakers to both save lives and minimize impacts on livelihoods,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies.

“The global community has an opportunity to invest in health care workers and public health infrastructure to support vaccine delivery and COVID-19 care and prevention in the near term, and also repair and restore health service delivery disrupted by COVID-19 for the long term.”

Based on their findings, PERC authors recommend global support for AU Member States in supplying vaccines at a better coordinated and more systematic pace to allow broader, more effective and equitable distribution. The experts also recommend investmentimg and strengthening health security and data systems can be utilized both for COVID-19-specific responses and long-term priorities.

The PERC survey—the fourth in its “Using Data to Find a Balance” series—was fielded in September, when many countries in Africa were recovering from a third wave of COVID-19 driven by the Delta variant and before the emergence of the Omicron variant. PERC polled approximately 23,000 people across 19 African Union Member States; compiled social, economic and epidemiological data from a range of sources; and compared results from previous surveys conducted in February 2021 and August 2020. A French version of the report will be available in January 2022.

—