Covid-19 vaccinations fell by 80% in Afghanistan in the first week after the Taliban took over the country, according to Unicef. The UN children’s agency is warning that nearly two million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine delivered to Afghanistan – about half of the total so far – expire in November.
In the week beginning 15 August, 30,500 people had been vaccinated in 23 of 34 provinces , whereas the previous week 134,600 people were inoculated in 30 provinces, according to figures provided by Unicef.
The drop is understandable, as in situations of chaos, conflict and emergency, people will prioritise their safety and security first, a Unicef spokesperson told a news agency.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that only 1.2 million doses had been administered as of 20 August in Afghanistan, which has a population of 40 million.
(AIR)
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