COVID-19 vaccines have started being rolled out in more COMESA countries. As at end of March 2021, nine COMESA countries have received the vaccines and are administering it on their citizens.

The COMESA Early Warning System (COMWARN) reports that vaccination efforts are gaining momentum in the region as more countries receive their first batches. 

Analyzed according to the raw numbers of doses administered, the data indicates that so far Rwanda has administered the highest number of doses followed by Malawi, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius and Egypt,” COMWARN states in its latest Situational Update on COVID-19.

Most countries have prioritized health workers, security personnel, government employees and the elderly. 

However, if the daily dosages are juxtaposed by population (per hundred people) the data shows that Seychelles, Malawi, Tunisia and Rwanda have administered more doses of vaccines. Seychelles, for example, has so far vaccinated about 70% of its population, according to COMWARN.

Some of the vaccines approved by COMESA Member States include Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer/ BionTech, Sinopharm, Johnson and Janssen (J&J), Sinovac, Sputnik V, among others. 

COVID-19 cases have continued to surge in the region since January 2021.