Vaccine inequity and fears of a new surge of the virus mean that the continued importance of protective measures and supplies cannot be taken for granted.

“The pandemic is a long way from over, and it will not be over anywhere until it’s over everywhere”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO

Over the last year we have been running an upgrade project for a number of centres we are connected with, providing them with funding for new machines, building repairs, and tech, however we are also aware of the need to ensure that they are fully equipped with the PPE they needed to keep their staff and service users safe.

While we in the UK begin to enjoy pints inside and hug our loved ones again, and more of us look forward to that happy text informing us we can book our vaccination, we are still ever aware of the precarity of the situation as cases of the new variant rise across the country. That precarity is even more severe for countries where full vaccination of the population will not be achievable for years.

The UN health agency chief recently said that “a huge disconnect is mounting between some highly vaccinated countries, which see the pandemic as largely resolved, while huge waves of infection continue to grip others where shots are scarce.”

The WHO reports that in the last two weeks, Africa reported a 20% increase in cases. While over the last few months, African countries have received their first batches of vaccines through the COVAX vaccine programme and begun vaccinating their frontline workers and most vulnerable, the number of doses contained in these deliveries was quickly found to be woefully inadequate. In sub-Saharan Africa coverage for the first dose is at about 1%, compared with 60% in some wealthy nations.

“As people living in richer countries hit the reset button this summer and their lives start to look normal, in Africa our lives will stay on hold. This is unjust.”

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa

With this in mind, we are eager to do what we can to allow mobility centres that receive our support to continue to keep their staff and service users safe. Some of these have received PPE from their local governments which we are happy to supplement where it is unable to meet the demand, and others have been expected to source necessary protective equipment with their own funds.

In countries like Tanzania, which has not yet accepted the vaccination programme, a significant barrier comes in the form of misinformation about the virus and a lack of acceptance of the efficacy of vaccines. We provided funding for Harowin Orthopedic Rehabilitation Centre to print COVID information posters as well as purchasing PPE items and infrared thermometers, to increase awareness of the need for social distancing and debunk myths about treatments among their service users.

We will be continuing to speak to the centres we are connected with about ways we can provide support while the pandemic continues to affect their lives and livelihoods, and those of service users with disabilities who have been increasingly isolated over the past year and are struggling to reach clinics and pay even the subsidised costs of prosthetic legs.

To help us continue to support mobility centres to safely provide access to mobility for amputees through these difficult times, head over to our website and make a donation or learn about other ways you can get involved