Ghana, Wednesday, became the first country to receive COVID-19 vaccines as part of the COVAX initiative to ensure equitable access for everyone.
The country took delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India (Covishield).
The consignment is the first of the vaccines acquired through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX), which Ghana signed along with 92 other countries.
Earlier, UNICEF and the World Health Organization, had in a joint statement asserted that Ghana would receive the first shipment of vaccines from Covax, a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free to poor countries.
The vaccines, according to local media reports, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on an Emirates Airlines cargo flight.
They were received by an official delegation led by the Minister of Health designate, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu.
The reports stated that the COVID-19 vaccination to be carried out in phases among segmented populations will begin on March 2.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Ministry of Information has assured that “the Government of Ghana remains resolute at ensuring the welfare of all Ghanaians and is making frantic efforts to acquire adequate vaccines to cover the entire population through bilateral and multi-lateral agencies. We urge you to do your part by ensuring that you get vaccinated when the vaccine gets to you.”
In a statement, the ministry acknowledge the hard work of the technical teams from the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Information, the COVID-19 Task Force and all those who have assisted in getting us this far.
“Our Development Partners are also acknowledged for their tremendous financial and technical support. It is our hope that they will continue to support us in our sustained efforts in combating this virus and putting COVID-19 behind us,” the statement said.
GIK/APA
