Vaccine Supply Has Improved in West Africa, but Vaccination Rates Remain Low

For much of the pandemic, West African countries have lacked the vaccines needed to protect their populations against COVID-19. But now that enough supply is available, there are still very few people choosing to get vaccinated. Reporting from Sierra Leone and Ghana, Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman spoke to residents and health workers administering the vaccines about the challenges, including disinformation and fear spread through social media and some religious leaders.

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This is the first in a two-part series; the second segment discusses new strategies that are being employed in Sierra Leone and Ghana to make sure people get vaccinated.