More than 1.3 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States through the COVAX Facility arrived in Accra on Friday (8 October).
It brings the total to more than 2.5 million doses of various vaccines donated by the United States to Ghana to date.
“Vaccines are critical to defeating the pandemic. The 2.5 million vaccine doses donated to date by the United States will help protect Ghanaians from serious illness while we work together to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Stephanie Sullivan, ambassador of the United States to Ghana.
These are the same safe and effective vaccines used in the United States. The specialised syringes required for the Pfizer vaccine have already arrived in Ghana.
The Ghana Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service will oversee vaccine distribution nationwide.
Redoubled commitment
Delivered through COVAX, the donations are part of the Biden-Harris administration’s global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 22 September, President Biden announced that the United States is doubling its commitment to providing vaccines worldwide to 1.1 billion doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
US Ambassador Sullivan was joined by Ghana’s deputy health minister Tina Mensah, the chief director of the Ministry of Health, Kwabena Boadu Oklu-Afari, the director of public health with the Ghana Health Service, Dr Asiedu Bekoe, the director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation under the Ghana Health Service, Dr Amponsah Achiano, the director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Henry Tachie-Menson, and the UNICEF country representative for Ghana, Anne-Claire Dufay, to receive the vaccines at Kotoka International Airport.
The US government has already delivered more than 176 million doses to over 100 countries, including 36 million doses in sub-Saharan Africa alone. With the new commitment by the Biden-Harris administration, the American people are now donating three vaccine doses for every dose that has been administered in the United States.
Continuing support
The United States and Ghana have worked closely throughout the pandemic. Since March 2020, the US government – including elements of the Departments of State and Defence, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – has provided more than $30 million to support Ghana’s COVID-19 response.
These funds have provided personal protective equipment and training for medical professionals, medical equipment and testing supplies, vaccine distribution planning and support, and economic assistance for impacted communities.
Funding has also gone towards establishing three new regional public health emergency operations centres in Ghana, as well as educational support for Ghanaian students during the pandemic.
“The United States will continue to support Ghana’s COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts, including transport of vaccines to health facilities, detailed logistical planning, and outreach activities to encourage uptake of WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines,” a statement from the US embassy said.
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