As per the statement of the UNICEF Representative in Ghana, Anne-Claire Dufay and the World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo,
“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”.
These 600,000 COVAX vaccines are part of an initial tranche of deliveries of the Astra/Oxford vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India, which represent the first wave of COVID vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries. The COVAX Facility plans to deliver close to 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year.
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).
