Accra, Ghana//-Ghana today received first consignment of coronavirus vaccines through the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative.
From March 2, the Covid-19 vaccines will be deployed in health facilities and designated centres in some regions of the country, according to senior government official.
The World Health Organization (WHO) programme aims to ensure that vaccines are shared fairly among all nations.
Covax is aiming to deliver about two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines globally by the end of the year.
Many rich nations, who began their own vaccinations months ago, have faced criticism for buying or ordering more vaccines than they need.
A total of 600,000 doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University arrived in Ghana’s capital Accra on Wednesday (today). The West African country is said to be the first country to receive the vaccines under the Covax.
In a joint statement, the WHO and the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef) said it was a “momentous occasion”.
Receiving the vaccines at a ceremony in Accra, Ghana’s Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was made by the Serum Institute of India (Covishield).
“This is the first consignment of vaccines acquired through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) which Ghana, among 92 countries, has signed unto.
“Covid-19 vaccination will be conducted in phases among segmented populations.
“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 executive, legislature, judiciary and their related staff, frontline security personnel, some religious leaders, essential workers and teachers”, Mr Nkrumah stated.
He added that other personalities in Greater Accra Metro including Awutu Senya and Awutu Senya East in the Central Region will receive the doses.
“A similar segmented population in the Greater Kumasi Metro and Obuasi municipality will also be covered.”
He said government remains resolute at ensuring the welfare of the citizenry and is making frantic efforts to acquire adequate vaccines to cover the entire population through bilateral and multilateral agencies.
He urged the populace to do their part by ensuring that they get vaccinated when the vaccine gets to them.
“We acknowledge the hard work of the technical teams from the Ghana Health Service, the Health and Information Ministries, 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.”
As of today, 584 people have lost their lives to covid-19 in Ghana, with 6,614 active cases and 486 new cases in the country.
African Eye Report/Myjoyonline
