The Government of Ghana has taken delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine made by Serum Institute of India, today, February, 24, 2021.
This is the first consignment of the vaccine acquired through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) which Ghana among 92 countries have signed unto. In a presser by the Ministry of Information, it indicated that, the vaccines has arrived and further disclosed that, the vaccination will be conducted in phases among segmented populations.
The Ministry revealed that, the first segment of the population to receive the vaccine will be the health workers, the aged amongst others.
“The first segment of the population that will receive from the 600,000 doses will be health workers, adults 60 years and over, people with underlying health conditions, frontline executives, legislature, judiciary and their related staff, frontline security personnel, some religious leaders, essential workers, teachers and other personalities in the Greater Accra Metro including Awutu Senya and Senya East in the Central Region. A similar segmented population in the Greater Kumasi Metro and Obuasi municipality will also be covered.”
The Ministry then disclosed that, the vaccines will be deployed in health facilities and designated centres in these geographical regions from the 2nd of March. It also said, 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.
Handing over the vaccines to Health officials, a joint statement from the WHO and UNICEF stated that, the arrival of the vaccines was critical in bringing the pandemic to an end.
“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 statement further intimated that, 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.
“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. Ghana is the first country to receive the COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility.
“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.”
