Covid-19 vaccines arrive in Ghana
The government will from March 2 begin the deployment of the Covid-19 vaccines in health facilities and designated centres in the Greater Accra metropolis, including Awutu Senya, Awutu Senya East in the Central Region, as well as a similar segmented population in the Greater Kumasi metropolis and Obuasi municipality.
This follows the arrival of 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, made by the Serum Institute of India (Covishield), yesterday in Accra.
It is the first consignment of vaccines acquired through the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX), which Ghana, among 92 countries, has signed unto.
This was conveyed in a statement signed by the Minister of Information-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
The statement assured that the government “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.”
The statement therefore urged the citizenry to “do your part by ensuring that you get vaccinated when the vaccine gets to you.”
The government further acknowledged the hard work of the technical teams from the Ghana Health Service, the ministries of Health and Information, the Covid-19 Task Force and all persons who have assisted in the process.
WHO/UNICEF
In a related development, a joint statement by the UNICEF Representative in Ghana, Anne-Claire Dufay, and WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo, on the arrival of the first Covid-19 vaccines in Accra, indicated that the path to recovery for Ghanaians can finally begin after a year of disruption due to the pandemic.
“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,” it said.
“These 600,000 COVAX vaccines are part of an initial tranche of deliveries of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India, which represent part of the first wave of Covid vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries,” the statement further read.
Making history
According to the statement, the arrival of the 600,000 doses represents the beginning of “what should be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history.”
It noted that the COVAX Facility intends delivering close to 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines this year, which is an unprecedented global effort to make sure all citizens have access to vaccines.
“We are pleased that Ghana has become the first country to receive the Covid-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility. We congratulate the Government of Ghana – especially the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and Ministry of Information – for its relentless efforts to protect the population. As part of the UN Country Team in Ghana, UNICEF and WHO reiterate our commitment to support the vaccination campaign and contain the spread of the virus, in close cooperation with all partners, including Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI),” it said.
They are optimistic that as health workers and other front-line staff are vaccinated, “we will be able to gradually see a return to normalcy, including better access to health, education and protection services.”
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