Ghana kicks off COVID-19 vaccination campaign

By Rodrigue Forku

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AA) - Ghana on Monday kicked off a COVID-19 vaccination campaign with vaccines from the COVAX initiative.

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and their spouses took the first doses in the West African country.

Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, congratulated Ghana over "this historic milestone" and thanked President Akufo-Addo "for leading by example."

On Twitter, Moeti said it is the start of Africa's biggest immunization drive in history through the COVAX facility and marks a step forward in the continent's fight against COVID-19.

The West African nation was the first African country to receive 600,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca doses from the COVAX facility last week.

COVAX is co-led by the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and WHO. It aims to accelerate the development and production of COVID-19 vaccines and guarantee fair and equitable access for every country.

So far, Ghana has confirmed 607 COVID-19-related deaths and 84,023 infections, with 77,972 recoveries, according to the country's Health Ministry.