ACCRA, Ghana – The first wave of COVID-19 vaccines has arrived in Ghana through the COVAX initiative.
“Today marks the historic moment for which we have been planning and working so hard.” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore.
“With the first shipment of doses to Ghana, we can begin to make good on the promise of the COVAX Facility to ensure people from less wealthy countries are not left behind in the race for life-saving vaccines.”
U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the United States intends to provide an initial $2 billion, out of a total planned $4 billion, to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to support the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC) to provide COVID-19 vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries.
Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, this contribution will support the purchase and delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations, including frontline health care workers. This support is critical to controlling the pandemic and slowing the emergence of new variants as well as helping restart the global economy, all of which will ultimately benefit the American people.
The U.S. government will provide additional funding through 2022 and will work with other donors to make further pledges and commitments to meet the critical needs of the Gavi COVAX AMC.
The Biden-Harris Administration has made it clear that our goal is to vaccinate vulnerable
populations and reach those without other options, while working with our partners and governments around the world to ensure that none of us are in this alone