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Coronavirus (COVID-19) in West & Central Africa

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COVID-19

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Flagship report

The State of the World's Children 2023

Globally, an estimated 67 million children missed out entirely or partially on routine immunization from 2019 to 2021. In West and Central Africa, this figure is 19.5 million children. As these children pass the age when vaccines are routinely given, it will require a dedicated effort to ensure that they catch up ...

New UNICEF report shows 12.7 million children in Africa missed out on one or more vaccinations over three years

Dakar/Nairobi/Johannesburg, 20 April 2023 – UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2023: For Every Child, Vaccination reveals today that 12.7 million children in Africa missed out on one or more vaccinations over three years. In the world, a total of 67 million children missed out on vaccinations between 2019 ...

World Immunization Week 2022

This World Immunization Week, join UNICEF in celebrating vaccine heroes who promote the use of vaccines to protect every child against disease in West and Central Africa, and whose passion and engagement have made both routine and COVID-19 vaccination possible amid the ongoing pandemic. Watch our Thank You video t...

“Love your family? Get vaccinated”

“I decided to take the vaccine because of my family. My brother and some family members took the vaccine, so I decided that I should not be left out.” In Sierra Leone, Olufemi Williams, the leader of Suxxon band, witnessed the devastation caused by COVID-19 lockdowns. “In my community we are like family – we play ...

“It’s good to be vaccinated, it can protect you from the virus”

“At first I was hesitant, but I came to realize that it was good for me to get vaccinated. When I got home I told them [my family] that I was vaccinated and they were scared. They asked me ‘why did you get vaccinated?’ I told them it’s good to be vaccinated, it can protect you from the virus.” Jenebah Marrah, a st...

“I’m looking Healthy and Strong, because I was vaccinated”

After a wave of misinformation raced through the university, Cyril Okon Egbo, a student turned barber in Nigeria's Calabar state, received his vaccination against COVID-19. Many of his peers took a step back, claiming that they were not ready to be vaccinated because the vaccine would make them sick. But, for Cyri...

“Getting vaccinated protects us all.”

In the early days of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, one of the people who was unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was Sahr Kelly, a construction engineer at Dwazhark community in Freetown, Sierra Leone. "The impact of COVID-19 was not so great in Sierra Leone, so I asked myself why I should go for a vaccin...

“Vaccine means safety”

“I decided to get vaccinated because I had to keep myself, my family, friends and the community safe. To anyone that is not vaccinated, the one thing I would want to say to them is, take the vaccine so that you can be healthy, you can stay safe and go about your daily duties.” Imaobong Rikevwe, lives in Delta Stat...

26 January 2022

UNICEF Launches First Ever U-Report Challenge to Boost Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake in Africa

DAKAR/ Nairobi, 26 January 2022 – A week after COVAX delivered its billionth dose in Rwanda, UNICEF launches the first ever U-Report Challenge calling on all 13.3 million U-Reporters in Africa to help get vaccines to the unvaccinated. Through improving access and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, the #GiveitaShot c...

08 December 2021

European Union provides fresh funding to support COVID-19 vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa

DAKAR/NAIROBI, 8 December 2021 - UNICEF has received a new grant from the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid to help roll out COVID-19 vaccination in 12 countries in Eastern, Southern, West and Central Africa. The 18-month joint programme will help ensure that as vaccines arrive, countries are supported and vaccines reach the whole population,…

27 October 2021

G20 members have received 15 times more COVID-19 vaccine doses per capita than sub-Saharan African countries

NEW YORK, 27 OCTOBER 2021 – G20 countries have received 15 times more COVID-19 vaccine doses per capita than countries in sub-Saharan Africa*, according to a new analysis. The analysis, conducted by science analytics company Airfinity, exposes the severity of vaccine inequity between high-income and low-income cou...

18 October 2021

About 300,000 additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines for Senegal

DAKAR (Senegal), 18 October 2021 – Senegal has received today 298,700 additional doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, donated by the Government of Portugal through the COVAX facility. The vaccine doses were officially received at the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) depot in Dakar, in the presence of the Minister of Health and Social Action, Mr.…