The government will receive 1.5 million vaccines out of the 70 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines granted to Africa by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
At a media briefing at the Jubilee House, Monday, Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, said the gesture resulted from President Nana Akufo-Addo’s bilateral discussion with his German counterpart during his recent visit to Germany.
According to him, having received confirmation in this regard, President Akufo-Addo is making arrangements to take delivery of the vaccines.
“The German Chancellor made it known to the President that a total of 1.2 million vaccines, were to be given to Ghana but a few hours ago, I got confirmation from the President, that this has increased from 1.2 million to 1.5 million,” he said.
This comes days after Germany promised to make up to 70 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines available to African countries this year.
Chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement on Friday, more than doubling a previous pledge to donate 30 million.
“Germany will make available not only 30 million doses of vaccines, but it will be as much as 70 million doses,” Merkel told a news conference after a summit with African leaders on the G20’s Compact with Africa initiative.
Merkel said she was confident that there could be a “transfer, step by step, of the technology” to allow the production of Covid-19 vaccines in Africa.
Mr Arhin added that as announced by the Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the United States has also promised to give Ghana 1.5 million doses of Moderna vaccines.
“All in all, we should be hitting around 5 million doses. So far, at this particular stage, it is a good initiative taken by the Akufo-Addo government to rid our country of Covid-19,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service will from Tuesday, August 31, begin the administration of the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines to persons 18 years and above.
Those who qualify to be vaccinated are persons who received the first dose of vaccine from March 10 to March 29, 2021.
All persons eligible for this exercise are encouraged to “come along with your Covid-19 Vaccination Card and a valid National ID Card,” the Service said.