INTERNATIONAL: Only seven percent of the African population has received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the WHO's Emergencies Director, Mike Ryan, has said on Tuesday. In comparison, over half of the world's total population has already been double vaccinated.

Speaking during a virtual panel on vaccine equity at the World Economic Forum, Mike Ryan has stressed that "we are leaving huge swathes of the world behind."

Africa CDC Director, John Nkengasong, has echoed Ryan's statement, saying that there is no reason for Africa to be "lagging" behind other continents.

He says that we have seen over the last two years is really a total collapse of global cooperation and solidarity. Africa, he has mentioned is a continent of 1.2 billion people.

The CEO of GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance, Seth Barkley has said the challenge with developing countries "is giving them the tools, the finance and the planning time to be able to roll these products out."

On Saturday, 15 January, the COVAX global vaccine-sharing program has said it had delivered a total of one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Supplies to poorer nations have long been very limited because of lack of vaccines, as wealthier states secured most of the doses initially available from December 2020.

COVAX was launched in 2020 with the goal of delivering 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, but was slowed by wealthier states' initial hoarding of limited shots, export restrictions and frequent changes within its organisation.

GAVI, a vaccine alliance which co-manages COVAX, is seeking more funds to reach the WHO's goal of vaccinating 70% of the population in poorer nations by July.