The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) have congratulated the government of Ghana for being the first country to receive the Covid-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility.
The vaccines arrived in Ghana on Wednesday, February 24 on board an Emirates flight.
The Minister-designate for Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, led government’s delegation to take delivery of the 600,000 doses of the vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, WHO and Unicef said the arrival of the vaccines means the path to recovery for the people of Ghana can 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 statement jointly signed by WHO Representative to Ghana Dr Francis Kasolo and Unicef Representative to Ghana Anne-Claire Dufay said.
“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 vaccines are the first wave meant for low and middle-income countries.
“The shipments also represent the beginning of what should be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history.”
The COVAX Facility is said to be planning 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.
“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).”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana
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