Ghana becomes the first country to receive the Covid-19 vaccine through the COVAX program

The shipment, consisting of 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, arrived on Wednesday at 7am GMT on an Emirates flight to Kotoka International Airport in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

The designated Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, led a government delegation to receive the shipment.

When the plane carrying the vaccines landed, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation’s state journalist Abdul Hayi-Moomen said, “The flight carrying the vaccines we so long to receive, I think, hope has come.”

The vaccines were produced by the Serum Institute of India, in the Indian city of Pune, and are part of the first wave of Covid-19 vaccines aimed at low- and middle-income countries, according to the joint statement.

Western countries have

“Today marks the historic moment for which we have been planning and working so hard,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “With the first dose delivery, we can fulfill the promise of the COVAX Facility to ensure that people from less affluent countries are not left behind in the race for life-saving vaccines.”

Vaccines will first be given to health workers, people over the age of 60 and those with underlying health conditions, according to a statement from the Ministry of Information. They also plan to secure additional vaccines through external agencies, according to the statement.

Last month, India and the African Union announced plans for the Serum Institute to supply 400 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Africa.

Ghana has reported at least 80,759 cases of Covid-19 and 582 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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