Ghana was the first country on Wednesday to receive Covax vaccines, a global scheme to grant and distribute Covid inoculations for the least developed countries free of charge.
“The next stage of combating the disease can be launched, the rise of the largest immunization campaign in history,” said Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF.
On Wednesday, 600,000 doses of the vaccine AstraZeneca arrived at Accra. Healthcare workers are the first recipients. This Covax scheme aims to reduce the gap between rich and poorer countries that cannot purchase doses. It plans to deliver approximately two billion doses of vaccines worldwide by the end of the year.
After promising quick distribution and meeting Covax criteria, Ghana, which has a population of over 30m, was selected as the first free recipient.
The Covax Alliance reports that further deliveries are expected later this week to the neighboring Ivory Coast.
Next week, vaccinations are expected to begin in Ghana and those over 60 and those with underlying health and senior officers should be prioritized as well as health care workers.
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AstraZeneca and Oxford University have manufactured and developed the vaccines supplied to Accra from the Serum Institute of India. The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the vaccine and its implementation in Ghana does not form part of a test.
Data Source: BBC