RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
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
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e007518
DO 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007518
VO 6
IS 12
A1 Muhammed Olanrewaju Afolabi
A1 Oghenebrume Wariri
A1 Yauba Saidu
A1 Akaninyene Otu
A1 Semeeh Akinwale Omoleke
A1 Bassey Ebenso
A1 Adekola Adebiyi
A1 Michael Ooko
A1 Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
A1 Edward Kwabena Ameyaw
A1 Abdul-Aziz Seidu
A1 Emmanuel Agogo
A1 Terna Nomhwange
A1 Kolawole Salami
A1 Nuredin Ibrahim Mohammed
A1 Sanni Yaya
YR 2021
UL http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/12/e007518.abstract
AB 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.