The World Health Organization has warned that African countries must urgently boost critical care capacity to prevent health facilities from being overwhelmed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN Health on Thursday during a virtual briefing said the gap between COVID-19 vaccinations globally and on the African continent is increasing because of vaccine inequity.

Speaking at the briefing, Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa cautioned that the threat of a third wave in Africa is real and rising. 

Moeti said “Our priority is clear – it’s crucial that we swiftly get vaccines into the arms of Africans at high risk of falling seriously ill and dying of COVID-19.

While vaccine acquisition and distribution remain a challenge, Oxygen plants in medical facilities across the continent poses even a greater risk – a critical supply that many low-income nations lack.