Ghana has received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the Covax facility of the World Health Organization, WHO.
This was announced in a joint statement by the WHO and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF.
The 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca–University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine which arrived Accra, Ghana on Wednesday, marks the first global delivery of vaccines from the COVAX Facility.
The first batch of vaccines which is part of an initial tranche of deliveries licensed to the Serum Institute of India, represents part of the first wave of COVID vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries
“We are pleased that Ghana has become the first country to receive the COVID-19 vaccines from the Covax facility. In the days ahead, frontline workers will begin to receive vaccines.
“The next phase in the fight against this virus can begin, the ramping up of the largest immunization campaign in history.
“After a year of disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 80,700 Ghanaians getting infected with the virus and over 580 lost lives, the path to recovery for the people of Ghana can finally begin.
“This is a momentous occasion, as the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines into Ghana is critical in bringing the pandemic to an end. The only way out of this crisis is to ensure that vaccinations are available for all. We thank all partners that are supporting the COVAX Facility to deliver safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to all countries quickly and fairly.
“The shipments also represent the beginning of what should be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history. The COVAX Facility plans to deliver close to 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year. This is an unprecedented global effort to make sure all citizens have access to vaccines,” the statement said.
