Ghana receives first vaccines from COVAX
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines distributed by the COVAX Facility arrives at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, Feb. 24, 2021.
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The United Nations-backed Global Access Facility (COVAX) initiative on Wednesday delivered its first shipment of coronavirus vaccine to the West African nation of Ghana. The 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine mark the beginning of a global COVID-19 inoculation campaign to reach the world’s most vulnerable in low- and middle-income countries. Presently, more than 80% of the COVID-19 distributed around the world have been to 10 mostly high-income nations.
The AstraZeneca vaccine, made by the Serum Institute of India, was delivered by UNICEF to Ghana, just one of the 92 countries receiving vaccines free of charge through COVAX. Ghana has recorded just over 81,000 coronavirus cases and 584 deaths according to health authorities in the country of 30 million people.
“Today marks the historic moment for which we have been planning and working so hard,” said Henrietta Fore, the executive director of UNICEF. “In the days ahead, frontline workers will begin to receive vaccines, and the next phase in the fight against this disease can begin.”
The COVAX initiative, which aims to deliver 2 billion shots this year, has been hampered by limited global supply of doses and logistical problems.
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