HIGHLIGHTS
-
Two years after CAR confirmed the first COVID-19 case, 824,496 people, 14.8 per cent of the population, have been fully vaccinated.
-
The humanitarian community in CAR plans to provide multi-sectoral assistance to 2 million people in 2022.
US$461.3 million will be required. -
3.1 million Central Africans need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022, 63 per cent of the population.
-
23 civilians were killed and 29 injured in 44 incidents involving explosive devices in 2021.
-
Humanitarian actors in 2021 assisted 1.8 million people, 97% of the target.
FEATURE
Two years after the Central African Republic confirmed the first COVID-19 case
Two years have passed since the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) confirmed on 14 March 2020 the first COVID-19 case in the country. Since then, various humanitarian and development partners have been supporting the government in responding to the pandemic, in addition to responding to a humanitarian crisis that has been lasting for more than a decade.
As of 9 March 2022, 865,113 people, or 15.5 per cent of the population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Of those, 824,496 people have been fully vaccinated (14.8 per cent of the population). CAR has received 2,568,280 vaccine doses from the COVAX facility and bilateral donations from China and Russia, of which 37 per cent have been administrated.
The Ministry of Health has revised its national vaccine rollout plan to scale up COVID-19 vaccination with the aim to cover 52 per cent of the total population by December 2022. The plan will include new targets, including people aged 15 and older.
The plan will benefit from financial support from the World Bank, UNICEF, GAVI and WHO.
The CAR government launched on 20 May 2021 the COVID-19 vaccination campaign with the support of partners, notably WHO, UNICEF and GAVI. The campaign began with the symbolic vaccination of members of the government and health workers. Frontline health personnel, vulnerable people aged 50 and above, religious leaders, traders, community liaison volunteers, transporters and journalists were targeted first by the campaign. The COVID-19 vaccination campaign covers all 16 prefectures of the country, but is experiencing access difficulties due to insecurity and poor road conditions.
Response to the second and third wave On the vigil of the campaign launch, President Touadéra on 19 May announced that a public health emergency will be declared and a number of measures taken to intensify efforts to contain the second COVID-19 wave, that hit the country in March and April 2021. Stricter barrier measures at gathering places such as restaurants, bars, places of worship, weddings and funerals, and public transport were announced, as well as their more rigorous reinforcement.
In January 2022, CAR was in the middle of the third COVID-19 wave. In the first week of January, 745 new cases were recorded, more than during the entire month of December 2021 (674 cases). As of 27 February 2022, the Ministry of Health has recorded 14,320* COVID-19 cases, including 113 deaths, since the beginning of the pandemic.
Conducive environment A survey conducted by the NGO Ground Truth Solutions indicated that Central Africans are ready to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and believe that the vaccine will help to eradicate the virus, despite some scepticism and misinformation that persist. Humanitarian and development partners have been supporting the Ministry of Health in elaborating a communication campaign to inform and encourage people to get vaccinated and to counter the spread of false information about the vaccine.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.