TY - JOUR T1 - Tracking the uptake and trajectory of COVID-19 vaccination coverage in 15 West African countries: an interim analysis JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007518 VL - 6 IS - 12 SP - e007518 AU - Muhammed Olanrewaju Afolabi AU - Oghenebrume Wariri AU - Yauba Saidu AU - Akaninyene Otu AU - Semeeh Akinwale Omoleke AU - Bassey Ebenso AU - Adekola Adebiyi AU - Michael Ooko AU - Bright Opoku Ahinkorah AU - Edward Kwabena Ameyaw AU - Abdul-Aziz Seidu AU - Emmanuel Agogo AU - Terna Nomhwange AU - Kolawole Salami AU - Nuredin Ibrahim Mohammed AU - Sanni Yaya Y1 - 2021/12/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/12/e007518.abstract N2 - The African Union Bureau of Heads of State and Government endorsed the COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access Strategy to vaccinate at least 60% of each country’s population with a safe and efficacious vaccine by 2022, to achieve the population-level immunity needed to bring the pandemic under control. Using publicly available, country-level population estimates and COVID-19 vaccination data, we provide unique insights into the uptake trends of COVID-19 vaccinations in the 15 countries that comprise the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS). Based on the vaccination rates in the ECOWAS region after three months of commencing COVID-19 vaccinations, we provide a projection of the trajectory and speed of vaccination needed to achieve a COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate of at least 60% of the total ECOWAS population. After three months of the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines across the ECOWAS countries, only 0.27% of the region’s total population had been fully vaccinated. If ECOWAS countries follow this trajectory, the sub-region will have less than 1.6% of the total population fully vaccinated after 18 months of vaccine deployment. Our projection shows that to achieve a COVID-19 vaccination coverage of at least 60% of the total population in the ECOWAS sub-region after 9, 12 and 18 months of vaccine deployment; the speed of vaccination must be increased to 10, 7 and 4 times the current trajectory, respectively. West African governments must deploy contextually relevant and culturally acceptable strategies for COVID-19 vaccine procurements, distributions and implementations in order to achieve reasonable coverage and save lives, sooner rather than later.All data relevant to the analysis are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. ER -