the approvals they need to manufacture these vaccines on mass and distribute them. and we look at bio vac. they say that they have the ability to manufacture about 50000000 doses or over the next period. but even then that will begin in the months to come. so still some time before african starts receiving jobs or with vaccines made in africa. now to the u. s. now, where children under the age of 5 weren't received their corona, virus vaccines for at least a few months after health authorities delayed their approval of the shot. the f da says it needs more data from drug makers, pfizer, and by on tech. before it can roll out the vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years. ah, the front door, however, the top stories on al jazeera, he was president joe biden has said to speak to russia's vladimir putin on saturday to discuss tensions over ukraine. washington,

as warning that moscow could attack within days. but russia denies that. the canadian judge is ordering truck drivers protesting against mandatory coven 19 vaccines. to stop blocking a bridge, it's the biggest trade route between canada and the us. the illegal blockades are hurting canadians, whether they're in ottawa, windsor, goose, or emerson, their endangering jobs, the threats to our economy, and to public safety. the blockades are hurting small businesses and neighborhoods at the border. they're impacting tre, supply chains and manufacturing the people. these bathrooms are hurting or ever do families. and thousands of protesters have descended on the australian capital fighting against coven 19 vaccine mandates. as estimated more than $10000.00 gathered outside parliament in canberra, the protest falls,

the cancellation of a charity fundraising event. nearby. hundreds of prisoners and myanmar have been granted amnesty as part of the 75th union day anniversary celebrations of a unity agreement with ethnic minorities. meanwhile, new corruption charges have been filed against deposed leader on santucci, sri lanka. the president has declared that health and power workers provide essential services, which means it's illegal for them to take strike action. public health care workers walked out earlier this week to demand better pay and conditions. mexican president andre manuel lopez ober door has promised to ensure journalists aren't killed with impunity. it follows the murder of a journalist in the southern state of walker on thursday. ebay lopez is the 5th journalist to be murdered in mexico. this year. 2 people have been arrested. will those are the headlines on al jazeera,

do stay with us inside story is coming up. next. britain's beloved curry houses are in crisis to you darn is shut down every week. she's a bricks. financial fraud at the platinum $1.00 0 $1.00 east investigates on algebra. light at the end of the tunnel. that's according to the world health organization that says africa could soon see the end of the pandemic. but as such optimism justified, when few people have access to vaccines and adequate health care, this is inside stored. ah. hello and welcome to the program. i'm a hammer, jim, jim. many countries are using restrictions as the number of cupboard 19 infections

begins to stabilize. some scientists believe the pandemic is nearly over. the world health organization has an optimistic message for nations in africa that have struggled to secure vaccines and treatment. it's regional director says the continent will soon be able to manage the virus as an endemic disease. doses of vaccines are starting to arrive in large numbers. only 10 percent of africans are fully inoculated. the lowest in the world, the w h o admits the actual number of infections could be 7 times higher than the official count of 11000000 so far. and the pandemic has pushed up to 40000000 people into poverty. is in an extremely difficult 2 years, but against all odds, africa is weathering. this terrible storm. the continents long history and experience with large outbreaks and excuse me, along with an accumulation of learnings and expertise since the onset of call it 19 has seen the response become more effective with each new wave. a steady supply of

doses is now reaching our shores. so the focus needs to be on translating those into actual shots in people's arms. more jobs are becoming available in africa as global production ramps up. that should help it tackle the pandemic. but supplies aren't the only hurdle. the continent has received almost 700000000 vaccine doses, but people's hesitancy to being inoculated logistical difficulties. and a lack of resources have hampered immunization efforts for many countries. uptake varies considerably across africa. morocco has more than 60 percent of its adults vaccinated in burundi and congo. it's less than one percent. several african countries are making headway in local vaccine production. south africa said to be the 1st to trial, a homegrown m r and a jab, but the benefits could be years away. ah. all right, for more on all this, i'm joined by my guess in johannesburg,

schubert mud he, director of the vaccines and infectious diseases analytics research unit of the university of the of it of artisan in a boucher is sarah mac, bobby executive director of engagement and mobile mobilization for one campaign and organization fighting extreme poverty and disease and also, and buddha is dr. if find me in the so for community health, physician and senior vice president for africa at the human health education and research foundation, a warm welcome to you all and thanks so much for joining the program today. sarah, let me start with you today. so the w a chose regional head of africa said that africa is transitioning out of the pandemic phase of covey 19. what does that mean and what will that transition look like? thank you for that question. so while the signs of recovery are encouraging, any recovery is fragile and in particular for africa. because you'll recall that

over 70 percent of the high income countries and gotten vaccinations in therapeutics and testing of what the need and access, hovering writer on 11 percent. so what it means is that i still behind so recovery truly must be a moment for us to ensure that we actually recover fully from this. and particularly since the continents request for the ability to produce us on vaccines and other medication. and we can't forget the konami crisis, that was the tale. and quite frankly, for africa, the front ways of this crisis that still remains so on the health side, things might be improving, but we see that with cautious optimism on the economy side. there's still a crisis brewing. it should be, or you heard there, there talk about a vaccine production and the importance of it. and i'm curious to know your standpoint about how the vaccine trial and the vaccine production is going in south

africa. so don't exceed, nor knocking psychiatric. and it's about just over 40 percent of the population that they're for steve, at least a single dose of that scene. i in people about the age of 50 y, responsible for more than 80 percent of the fatal covert cases. that figure sits at about 60 percent, but i think what's, what's been experience in south africa guys, not so much a function or vaccines, but draw the consequence of immunity. that is, that as an over time should, in the course of the 1st 3 raced before americans thought it. and at this unit, did that, as it of institute jude to eye infection, would divide us so in south africa, 70 percent off and vaccinate that individuals have got community against severe disease and death shoot to pos infection. and it's probably not to disseminate many of the african countries we had to spite madison or lot of it seems an effect sometimes negligible, brought up the vaccines a large percentage of the population, if not develop community against severe disease and death in particular. ah,

and unfortunately it's a situation where even though vaccines are likely to scale up in terms of excess in on african continent to some extent, it's come to late. i because the loss of life has already transpired in south africa as an example, as a country. then what does it debate from cove at 1918 at e, jennifer, about $490.00 per 100000 are which is in excess of what there's been experience in the united kingdom twice as high and even higher than what it's experienced in the united states but communities, now it isn't against them yet. disease and death logically the course of high force of boston fiction. if i need from your vantage point there in abuja, what do you say is it simply too early to make this call with regard to africa and the pandemic? i don't think is too early because if we look at what's happening in the west, you know, countryside beginning to move restrictions are moving. so we also have to move ahead. but however, i think we have to be very honest with the very little by condition called bridge.

what do you think the means is that within the next few months, africa really be, you know, will be no, not confident or confident because we have the lowest battery coverage across across the world. so in as much as the, the statement by the w to afro headed is encouraging. but i think within countries we have to really rumble oxidation. i'm from, i put this on here and i get out for a how do we begin to take the boxes to people where they leave on walk? because now we, where would people people come to us. but again, if you look at our economy in africa, about 70 percent, i would end up bechtel. imogen lat leave where the india daily wage got little box and lots of big boxes to the people. so what do you need to begin to think about innovative ways ensuring that the boxes back to i gettin translates to increase

back in the shop? are people across the continent? sir, i saw your nodding along to a lot of what if i was saying this? i want to give you a chance to respond to jump in, but i also want to ask you about the problem of vaccine hesitancy on the continent . why is it as bad as it is right now? so honest points that they are cause of signals that the, the panoramic might be healing over. well, you know, the fragility of recovery is where we really have to double down on africa. has really martin left unprotected and we've been here before and we feel free to finish the job. and one of the things that that hardens me is that we do know how to get back into the last mile. we know how to do it. we did it with, with polio, it was challenging, but it was done, we did it with that, we do it with the children's vaccines and immunizations, and go from house to house. so it's not a question of, can we get it to the last mouth? it's a question of the way the vaccines came in this time they came in and drips and drives . and it's really hard to mount a campaign reading the last mile when we didn't have sufficient supply. and so he's

present from a supply problem. so a demand problem vaccine hesitancy is not an african problem. it's a global problem. we see it all over the world. but what we're seeing is a range of apathy, vaccine apathy, where we're sort of getting on with it because the vaccines are coming, you know, things where we need to move on the lives of folks just forced ahead at a set of misinformation, guided by what if in the vaccines, and that's what a vaccine campaign could have done as we had enough supply. and so, so, but the research is coming out as like africa doesn't have more hesitancy than other parts of the world. in fact, some research says it's 80 percent receptivity to vaccine, 50 percent receptive, backseat. depending on the country you're, you're looking at. so it hasn't and see is not the challenge. it really is get, let's get the supply on the ground. let's get them in arms and let's get it africa protected. unfortunately, this pandemic has reveal the inequities of making sure all of us are protected when

the new pandemic one another, and the on the corner. so really hope we can learn from what we've seen and set ourselves up for better, a better protection down the line because the truth is, until all of us, none of us se shabbier, sir. there was talking about some of the challenges when it comes to distributing the vaccine supply demand logistics at some cases, hesitancy, maybe not as much as it has been reported as sarah was a just describing there. but i would ask you from your standpoint, what has to happen in order to turn the corner and in order to make sure that jabs aren't as being produced, but that they're actually going in arms. and i think what's also important, i totally agree with sarah in terms of some of the others that we need to overcome . but i think what equally important is recon dismissed. what has transpired on african continent and at the 70 and more percent of the population. if now developed community against severe disease because of boss infection. so what type of exceeded becomes available?

it's pretty much a futile exercise right now, trying to go house to house, to vaccinate every individual. we need to be much more targeted and to be able to prevents of yet, disease and death. we need to focus on people about age of 50 and people with underlying medical conditions to be vaccinated as a product. you know, that in just doing a been kind of number of doses that are being administered and that, that make us much more efficient in a manner in which we can optimize the gain from roll out of vaccine. similar to when we vaccinate the children against polio, we vaccinate children against polio. the chords are most susceptible to infection and the stemmed on its people above the age of 15, that the most susceptible to severe disease. and it probably is toast and to benefit from vaccines in protection against of yet diseased, despite them having been infected in large numbers already from up in a pos, if any i saw you nodding along to some of what does she be or was saying there did you want to jump in? yeah, i mean, that's what i need to add. the majority of the population africa have gauge

immunity because of exposure. well, also need to bear in mind that as far as the west is concerned, if you're not back, then you know, then the other problem. because, you know, going back to what i said by the next, which is that this particular on them, if you will find all about it was, it was so bad a month ago when you know the thing backs and we took on the continent was not a cognizant, you based on the grid. so i want this situation whereby was tribe, what's possible on the continent to make sure that everybody eligible? i do, we, shall we shoot, prioritize those people. you know, i've twist compared to the younger population. what we should really make sure that everybody gets back to that, that we cannot keep with people. people come to get back from the said. for me, i think if you look at it has its own. the bucket confidence is when the mall is right,

because we don't get the boxes to people as long got to keep with people people to come to help facilitate the gun, but it cost much more difficult. how do they sell the whereas the market leave are ways to go back a little bit. so don't practice that. we deployed in, kicking off across the pumps and some of the stuff that we need to deploy to make sure that just like i said, prioritizing those, that high risk. but ultimately making sure that everybody, you know, get back on the confidence sarah, earlier you were talking a bit about the economic impact of cobit 19 across the continent. and i want to go back to that point and have you expanded in a little bit according to the world bank, the cobra, 900 pandemic is estimated to a pushed up to 40000000 people into extreme poverty in africa. just how dire is the situation right now? so, jobs and unemployment have really become the pinnacle of what we're seeing with this economic response to the people who,

who faced this every day for the economy as we see a communist contract. and what's, what's important is ethical readers have been very clear that more needs to be done to help their economies recover. and they're not looking for handouts. they want more autonomy and investment institutions in their health care. they cannot, and their health and the economies. i think a began the pandemic african leaders called a 100000000000 sd ours. and as we stand today, we only have about 45000000000 s yashira cycle to was africa. and to give you what it means in context, honesty, ours are sort of liquidity being pushed into the economy. in context, america had a bought 3 trillion dollars and liquidity support for the economy to recover europe . or we had about over $2000000.00 in liquidity support. entire continent has asked for a 100000000000 and we're still not there. so you can just imagine what is required

to us property economy, so we can get more jobs, expand. so, subsidized for lots of lots of businesses that have taken a hitchens, corbett, and so that lingering economic tail, the lack of act will remain with us. if we don't stand up and do something, it's not just about africa, it's not sort of us over here. it affects all of us. we know we're in an increasingly interconnected society of economy. so what happens in africa will affect the rest of the world. so one of the calls will be asking for st, showed that the g 7 countries, the richer countries recycle the s t r. so that africa gets more support. and the people on the continent to feel a relief from what covert did the entire world should be. or i know you've addressed a little bit of this in somebody earlier answers, but i do want to talk to you a bit more about the fact that last week, south africa took a huge step towards what they say is getting back to normal. government announced the easing of most coven 19 restrictions and regulations,

and said it was taking the steps because the proportion of people with immunity to coven 19 had risen substantially. i mean, does that make sense to you? i absolutely, and i don't thing a company is such a soft epic and most of the african countries have got many other options of that and to try to get back to the other 2 around at the normal lifestyle, about to rescue the economy. israel is to undo some of the indirect consequences detrimental consequences. so to type of restrictions if you have been imposed. so what you see happening in south africa, you didn't, of course of the, on the con wave is that if we take all of the number of people that died of covert 19, since a thought would have been demick less than 5 percent of those are good and of course, on the crown rave compared to which 50 percent of all of the depth having transpired should. and of course, with delta v and rave in about substantially low up percentage of the population that, that developed community. so we've seen this massive decoupling off infections in severe disease and death and what go but 19 it's all about, it's not preventing infections but minimizing severe disease and death. and we've

reached that threshold in south africa where be seen as the coupling, and infecting or likely at the number of people that will dive cove at 19 children . of course, of the se in south africa wouldn't be too dissimilar to what bus experience with season influenza before to been demick, and will be substantially lower than a $50000.00 people that were dived to be close. as the seo in south africa, we don't expect more than 10 to 15000 people, richer to lot number to die of go with 19 dcea, but they the same thing. 50000 people will dive t b, the sea and south africa. if i mean, according to the w, a chose figures, africa is among the least affected continents. from coven, what exactly explains that are, are the deaths. and the infection cases under counted, is it, is it that the continent has a much younger demographic? what explains that? okay, well i think but the whole if you go back to what, sometime last. yeah. when, when, when did you into a song by continent. yeah. the fact that i freak out the content that had the best

accord you need that strategies. so i think that's one then secondly, we tend to forget that experience is the best teacher when it comes to detecting prevents and responding to fact. so does our grades after it be currently across. and i think that we have at least more than a 120 different things that are happening. you know, so we do expertise in how you know, what the life community do contact to walk with different companies is proctor, you know, to be able to make sort of the message in full or in fact. so that is our but also the principal way impacted, you know, but there's no doubt that we also useful population that to the have to count as far as the continent is concerned. you got some of the interventions that the africa, you know, because cdc shit that will respond to me. the african parts of the african medical supplies platform also, you know,

coordinate response are cause the concrete compared to see all the content that you, you know, america where countries were more like, believe from the own. so i think that this is something we lack knowledge that africa brings a lot of expertise and that she, when it comes to management, i hope that the lesson that we blend, you know, in respond to do. but a lot of great apply to dealing with those all the upgrade happening, color, yellow fever and things like that to make sure that our people do not whole think i know. but most importantly, david leslie from infection that ordinarily we should prevent from happen should be, or it looked like you were reacting to what a funny was saying. did you want to jump in? yeah, unfortunately, i disagree with that analysis. and i don't think that land from the swank look endemic in 2009 our engine. and of course, would have been democrats, in 5 percent of all of the cases were documented in africa and south asia and off that have been demick at pos, when they did an analysis of excess mortality. 53 percent of all of the depth at

the could do the swaying floor cut in africa and south asia and the system of who is a issue of weak systems. that attitude, i now is a thought africa, which constitutes 5 percent of african population accounts for 45 percent of all of the cases that there been document that then all of the death death transpired that does not pick a south africa, substantially different from other african countries that is because we do much more testing done any of the african countries besides botswana to ability to detect cases and even depth when got up many african countries even today don't have a vital registration systems in place to actually measure excess motel at the i think it's really, i, i don't think that 3 grand on right that i fought claiming victory on african continent. because i think the truth of the methane tons of burden of disease is yet to move to the lights, which look out to the number of people that there died of covert 19 certificates. in example, at a quoted number of debts, it's about 800000 just and under 1000 not. but when we look at excess mortality at

to put the boat to cover 19 a country, such a south africa is underestimating death, 30 fold, putting it amongst a dock. and then countries with a highest go without more delicate 8 globally, at about 402-910-0000. and it's very difficult to understand why other african countries was yonce get systems i given less gazillion in south africa, would be speed. the in back of go with 19 is not because we good at, you know, without up endemic because we wouldn't care for those other products or would the other infectious diseases because we wouldn't have that problem if you have that great and dealing with sarah and you know, sometimes a lot of stuff comes down to political will and i know that, you know, we're talking about lots of different countries here, all with their distinct issues and challenges. but from your perspective, is their political will mostly on the african continent to support the local manufacturing and distribution of vaccines. so africa, increasingly speaking with one voice question is the world listening. so this

pandemic really reflected how africa organized and had a uniform and a collective political will to do what it needed to do when you juxtaposed that with a political will that we needed from north american europe to end the pandemic. it's missing. so one of the things that africa calling for is self sufficiency and vaccine production and not just vaccines. so the point that both gentlemen made earlier, we need vaccines, therapeutics diagnostics, testing and needs to be a suite of products. and so there's a lot of political will right now, there'll be an event in germany where a biotech and african leaders are standing to make sure that we can develop and, and, and create vaccines on the car and manufacture of axes. on the continent. there's been a lot of energy from rwanda, south africa synagogue, to make sure those are hubs for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostic of development. but another pandemic cannot see africa holding the end

of the bag again. and as such, i'm, i want to believe that the african leaders have, have woken up the reality that self sufficiency and protecting her people from another pandemic. a one like this is essential because what happened with this pandemic is just a spotlight on the in inequality that it revealed and on. and so that, that has really driven a lot more political will. i will have to add that we saw failure political well from the west. quite frankly, it was a, it was a doubling down a nationalistic tendencies and the science and the common sense approach to disconnect what wired looking at your people. but looking at others as well, because again, it needed to be a collective protection for us to get out of this pandemic. so if we take the lessons that we've learned today and with this pandemic, so that will be better prepared the next time,

something like this shows up. i hope the world can stand up and have a passing mark, because we didn't this time. all right, well we have run out of time, we're gonna have to leave the conversation there. thank you so much to all of our guests should be, are mighty sarah mecca, ruby and if on yet and so forth. and thank you to, for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al jazeera dot com, and for further discussion, go to our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. you can also during the conversation on twitter, our handle is at a j inside story from the manager room, the whole team here, bye for now. a on counting the cost to europe is divided or the nuclear energy but isn't green enough that you when accuses north korea funding, it's miss our program with stolen crypto currency. how can digital wallace be

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