Ghana receives additional 1.24 million Pfizer vaccines from UK

Ghana has taken delivery of an additional 1.24 million doses of Pfizer vaccines from the United Kingdom as cases of COVID-19 increase steadily.

The doses arrived at the Kotoka International Airport over the weekend bringing the total UK bilaterally donated COVID-19 vaccines to 2.64 million.

A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the vaccines were received by officials from the Ministry of Health alongside Ms. Beth Cadman OBE, the Development Director at the British High Commission.

“I am thankful for the arrival of the 1.24 million Pfizer vaccines in Ghana even as we see the number of COVID-19 cases in the country increase. The rainy season always brings its fair share of disease concerns, including malaria and viral outbreaks,” Ms Cadman stated.

The statement urged the public to observe good hygiene practices, take COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible to be protected against severe COVID-19 illness, and take precautions against mosquito bites.

“Together, we can stop COVID-19 from becoming a headline issue in Ghana.

“We are grateful to Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Information, Ghana’s drone delivery company Zipline and all our partners and teams on the ground who will work tirelessly to make sure these jabs reach those most in need in towns and villages across the country.

“We must ensure that the most vulnerable in Ghana, including persons with disabilities, have access to the vaccines. No one is safe until collectively we are all protected,” it said.

The UK’s £548 million contribution has supported the delivery of over 1.3 billion doses to 87 developing countries, including 23.5million doses to Ghana through the global COVAX initiative.

As part of the vaccine donations, the UK has provided an additional £105 million of emergency support to help reduce the health impacts of the Omicron variant in developing countries.

Source: GNA