The General Debate in the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, from 21 September, 2021 to 30 September, 2021 with the theme:
“Building resilience through hope to recover from Covid-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of the people, and revitalise the United Nations.”
The tune was set for a 70% global vaccination rate by 2022.
UNGA is the main policy-making organ of the UN and all 193 countries belonging to this world body are members.
The data from the World Health Organisation, WHO, shows that Africa is the least vaccinated continent against the Covid-19 virus.
The figures for 19 September, 2021 available on 21 September, 2021:
…………….DOSES/ FULLY/ % POPULATION ………..
WORLD 6 billion 2.52 billion 32.3
US 387 million 182 million 55.5
INDIA 822 million 209 million 15.3
BRAZIL 223 million 81.3 million 38.5
NIGERIA 6.19 million 1.77 million 0.9
A discussion on a more equitable access to safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines is therefore, urgently needed in the 76th UNGA.
Only 1.6% of people in Africa have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by 21 September, 2021.
At least 52 out of the 54 African countries are yet to reach 10% Covid-19 vaccination coverage.
Africa has a shortfall of 470 million Covid-19 vaccine doses for 2021.
While a more equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines is not a plea for some largesse, it is also important that Africa sees it not as a right.
Rather, it is one of the ingredients for the desired new world economic order.
It is either the world defeats Covid-19 completely or a neglected people, from whom it did not even originate, may re-spread the disease, and possibly, in a more virulent form.
And that will be a bad thing to happen.
No country is safe until every country is safe.
EARLIER POST
Nigeria: Covid-19 cases rise
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, reports that there were six deaths and a total of 393 confirmed new cases of Covid-19 in Nigeria for 21 September, 2021.
On 19 September, 2021, 168 cases were reported.
The reported new cases bring to 202,191 the total number of confirmed cases in the country.
By 14 July, 2021 the total number of confirmed cases in the country was 169,074.
Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, leads with 121 new cases on 21 September, 2021 a far cry from only 15 cases it recorded two days earlier.
The other new cases are: Lagos (86), Edo (70), Delta (30), Rivers (24), Plateau (16), Benue (11), Cross River (10), Abia (8), Bayelsa (4), Gombe (4), Bauchi (3), Kano (3), Adamawa (2) and Taraba (1) .
Abuja has overtaken Lagos in cases of new infections. By 14 July, 2021 Nigeria had 159 new cases of Covid-19, with Lagos State accounting for 119 of them.
The country has tested about 2,997,060 million samples from a population of 200 million people.
NCDC says 190,901 cases have been treated and discharged while 2,661 deaths were recorded across the country.
By 14 July, 2021, 164,652 were treated and discharged with 2,126 deaths.
Nigeria, by 21 September, 2021 had 8,629 active Covid-19 cases.
