Small share of world's vaccine supply in Africa

Of the 12 countries that hit the 10% goal, most have small populations, except for South Africa, the WHO said. Most had the resources to acquire vaccines or make bilateral deals beyond their COVAX deliveries.

Currently, 4.5% of the African population is fully vaccinated, well below the average 55% to 66% levels seen in the United States and Europe. The WHO said African countries have received 201 million doses, which makes up 2.4% of the world's distribution. The African region has administered 71% of the doses it has received.

"Countries still need to double their efforts to reach the year-end target of fully vaccinating 40% of the population," the WHO said.

The region's COVID-19 cases continued a downward trend for the 11^th week in a row, though some countries experienced increases over the past week, including Angola, Benin, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Mauritius, and Sao Tome and Principe. Deaths are also continuing to drop.

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