African leader asks Europe of COVID response: 'Are we equal?'

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio speaks during an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Belgium, February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Phil Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's leader challenged Europeans on Thursday to remember there are "human beings on the other side" in Africa who have been left behind in the unequal global response to COVID-19.

By the start of February, only 11% of Africans were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus - far fewer than in richer parts of the world where vast and expensive inoculation campaigns have reached most of their populations.