Why is the vaccination rate still low in some countries?

Why is the COVID-19 vaccination rate still low in some countries?

Supply shortages remain a problem, but experts say there are now other issues such as unpredictability of deliveries, fragile health care systems and doubts about vaccines.

Most of the countries with low vaccination rates are in Africa. Until the end of February, in 13 African nations, only 5% of their populations had the complete guideline, according to Phionah Atuhebwe, an official with the regional office of the World Health Organization.

Countries with extremely low vaccination rates include Yemen, Syria, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea.

For most of last year, developing countries were affected by supply shortages. Rich nations hoarded available doses, and many others had no facilities to manufacture their own coronavirus formulas. The COVAX program, an initiative to distribute them equally around the world, had trouble meeting its goal.

Many rich countries had planned to donate doses once their population was vaccinated, but the appearance of the delta and omicron variants prompted the administration of booster doses, further delaying those plans. On the other hand, vaccine manufacturers have largely refused to share their formulations or technology, further restricting production.

In addition, other setbacks have arisen.

“The main problem among countries with a low vaccination rate is the poor infrastructure to distribute the vaccines,” said Dina Borzekowski, director of the Global Health Initiative at the University of Maryland. “What is missing are good practices to get the vaccine to populations that normally live without managed sanitation systems or reliable electricity supply.”

Other times, donated vaccines are delivered close to their expiration date, giving authorities little time to distribute them, said Sinhye Ha of Doctors Without Borders.

Some countries lack basic materials, such as syringes, or the means to keep the drug at the right temperature.

Doubts about vaccines, fueled by misinformation and mistrust of governments, have also contributed to their low uptake in some nations, Atuhebwe said.

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