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Recently, Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations (UN) backed COVAX initiative.
- It has received a delivery of 6,00,000 doses of the Covishield (AstraZeneca vaccine) made by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
- The vaccines have been delivered by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and are part of the first wave of Covid-19 vaccines that COVAX is sending to low- and middle-income countries.
- Ghana is among 92 countries that have signed onto the COVAX Initiative.
About COVAX Initiative
- It is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- Aim: To accelerate the development and manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.
- COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
- The ACT Accelerator is a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
- Features
- Doses for at least 20% of countries’ populations.
- Diverse and actively managed portfolio of vaccines.
- Vaccines delivered as soon as they are available.
- End the acute phase of the pandemic.
- Rebuild economies.
- Significance
- It will reduce the loss of life and help to get the pandemic under control.
- Introduction of a vaccine will prevent the loss of USD 375 billion to the global economy every month.
- Global equitable access to a vaccine, mainly protecting health care workers and those most-at-risk is the only way to mitigate the public health and economic impacts.
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Status of Vaccines in India
Serum Institute of India
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