Vaccines will be slow to reach the Sahel’s rural areas

Significance

Burkina Faso and Chad are now working to catch up after getting off to a much later start than other regional countries. Vaccinating a majority of the population is a long way off; nevertheless, official case counts and deaths remain very low.

Impacts

• ‘Vaccine diplomacy’ could strengthen ties between China, Mauritania and Chad, which have received the Sinopharm vaccine.
• Problems with either Sinopharm or AstraZeneca, however, could cause tensions with their respective donors.
• Vaccination campaigns could help accelerate a return to growth as the economic impacts of 2020 fade.