It has been almost two weeks since the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Mali. But the vaccination campaign has still not started, and medical staff are expressing impatience and even concern, all in light of uncertainty surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine, the use of which has already been suspended in several countries.
Near 400,000 doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Mali in early March. By the end of May, thanks to the Covax plant, a partnership between several international health organizations, the country will have more than a million. Long-term goals set by the authorities: more than eight million doses for a population of almost twenty million inhabitants.
However, the vaccination campaign has still not started, which is regretted by Dr. Modibo Doumbia, President of the Bamako Medical Council Regional Council. “As soon as the first doses were received, the vaccination had to start because the medical population really needed it,” explains the doctor. We have lost many colleagues because of Covid-19. So if they are the target of this vaccination, it will strengthen their immunity to this disease. But there is no information, no press releases, and that worries us. ”
Authorities have already said they will start vaccinations in April, but no date has yet been set. “Many things have been done, but there are still some final adjustments,” said Professor Daouda Minta, rapporteur on the Covid-19 strategy for Mali. The vaccinators must be identified and trained. Be sure to set the target. The priority is our healthcare professionals and people over the age of 65. ”
So why does it take so long? “We’re talking about ‘front-line workers,’ but they need to be well-defined,” the professor replies.
That thorny AstraZeneca question
One last element could very well delay the start of the campaign: Mali has received AstraZeneca vaccines, which are at the heart of a controversy over its possible side effects. Many countries have recently suspended it, especially in Europe, as a precaution. Others, who Senegal, has decided to maintain the planned vaccinations of this vaccine. The Malian authorities are currently asking themselves the question.
According to the latest official figures from the Malian Ministry of Health, just over 9,000 cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Mali in a year, 6,523 people are currently affected and 364 people have died. Underestimated figures according to the authorities themselves.
►Read also: Covid-19: helped by the Covax program, Mali received its first doses of vaccine
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