(Ecofin Agency) - As part of initiatives to help Africa catch up with the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, France and Germany announced they are giving the continent 80 million shots of vaccines.  

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who previously promised 30 million doses, said her country will now grant Africa 70 million doses. France will give 10 million doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, the shots are expected to be delivered to the African Union by the end of October 2021. “Vaccination rate is still low in Africa while we want fair access to vaccine for everyone. We should show solidarity to deal with this pandemic,” Macron said on Twitter.

Africa has so far vaccinated only about 2% of its population. To date, 7.7 million cases of Covid-19 infections have been reported on the continent with 194,946 deaths. The peak of weekly infections was 250,000 in early July.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the third wave of infections has declined on the continent in recent weeks. However, there has been a sharp increase in the number of infections in at least 16 African countries.