Africa has been making headlines in recent
weeks following the discovery of a new coronavirus variant omicron. The region is
suffering from extreme vaccination discrimination and they have little chance
of overcoming the coronavirus pandemic unless they manage to vaccine 70% of the
population by the end of 2022.

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However, the continent is nowhere close to
achieving the target and it does not seem like they will make it in time, as
per a report published on Monday.

The finding of Omicron in Southern Africa
complicates things further with several claims being made about the newly discovered
variant.

A statistic from Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s report on COVID-19 in Africa
will help you understand the situation better – only five of Africa’s 54
countries have been able to meet or are on the right track to achieve the goal
of fully vaccinating at least 40% of their population by the end of this year.

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Only one in 15 Africans have been fully
vaccinated as compared to the G7 countries who have managed to vaccinate nearly 70% of the population, as per the foundation set up by the Sudanese telecoms billionaire to promote better
governance and economic development in Africa.

While vaccines are being
delivered at a quicker pace than they were before, poor implementation of
policies and a weak structure in the healthcare systems remain major blocks in
the way of a vaccinated Africa.

Some donated vaccines
were even destroyed due to confusion about the expiry date. A report went on to
suggest that just 10% of the fatalities caused by the coronavirus have been
recorded due to a weak African civil registration system.

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According to the
Indian Express, Mo Ibrahim foundation’s co-chair said, “From early in this
crisis, our Foundation and other African voices have been warning that an
un-vaccinated Africa could become a perfect incubator for variants,”

“The emergence of
Omicron reminds us that COVID-19 remains a global threat, and that vaccinating
the whole world is the only way forward,” he added.