Only 1.5% of the vaccines administered so far, worldwide, have been given in countries on the African continent.

The state of the pandemic situation is worsening daily in Africa, particularly affecting children who have lost parents and grandparents and who are isolated and far from the schools that protected them from abuse. The alert is from Unicef.

The Covid-19 pandemic, which at first seemed to spare the African continent, is ravaging several countries, which are rearranging school closures. "At the current rate of infections, this wave will exceed the previous one in a matter of weeks due to more contagious variants, very slow vaccination on the continent, and overstretched hospitals," revealed James Elder, Unicef spokesman in Geneva.

The most alarming situation is in South Africa and neighboring countries. Out of a total of 57 million South Africans, only 2.5 million have so far received at least one dose of one of the available Covid-19 vaccines.

Still, the numbers recorded in South Africa represent one of the highest vaccination rates on the continent. To date, only 1.5% of the total vaccine doses administered globally, have been given on the African continent.

James Elder said that in Namibia, a country of 2.5 million people, there are 1000 new cases and 30 deaths every day. The country's hospital system is unable to cope with the numbers recorded, mainly due to oxygen shortages. In Uganda, a 2800% increase in new cases was recorded between March and June, according to Unicef.

The situation in several countries in Africa is leading the authorities to close schools, which Unicef identifies as a source of stress for children, who lose a safe haven. A situation that contributes to the worsening numbers of gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, and child labor.

Since the start of the pandemic, international agencies such as Unicef, estimate that 50 million people in Africa have fallen into poverty. In light of these circumstances, Unicef has called on governments in different countries to do everything possible to keep schools open and functioning, with the necessary health protocols.

Unicef reminded that the only way out of the pandemic is to extend vaccination and make it accessible to the poorest countries, which will only be possible if countries with sufficient resources support the Covax mechanism for equitable access to vaccines.