U.K. Vaccine Border Rules Ignore Africa’s Track Record, WHO Says
U.K. Vaccine Border Rules Ignore Africa’s Track Record, WHO Says
The U.K.’s refusal to recognize visitors as vaccinated unless they received their shots in a handful of select countries doesn’t take into account Africa’s track record of robust inoculation programs, according to Richard Mihigo, head of immunization and vaccine development at the WHO’s Africa office.
“It looks like the issue is not the vaccine themselves, but the documentation around the vaccines,” Mihigo said in a briefing on Thursday. “Africa has got huge experience in rolling out vaccines -- we’ve eradicated viruses on the continent and many diseases are under control.”
The measures apply to visitors that have had a vaccine approved and used in the U.K., such as the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and AstraZeneca Plc shots.
“Anything that prevents the free movement of people, particularly during this time when countries are struggling to put their economies back on track, is something we should avoid globally,” Mihigo said.
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