Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the UN-backed COVAX initiative, with a delivery Wednesday of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India.
The vaccines shots, delivered by UNICEF, arrived at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport and are part of the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines that COVAX is sending to several low- and middle-income countries.
"The next phase in the fight against this disease can begin -– the ramping up of the largest immunization campaign in history," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore declared in a statement.
"At last!" World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose organization also backs the COVAX initiative, said in a tweet.
"A day to celebrate, but it's just the first step."
Ghana is among 92 low-and middle-income countries that are receiving vaccines for free through the COVAX program, which aims to ensure wider access to vaccines around the world. Another 90 countries and eight territories have agreed to pay to receive vaccines through COVAX.
The West African nation of 30 million has recorded 81,245 coronavirus cases and 584 deaths in the pandemic.