Ghana gets second batch of AstraZeneca vaccines from Covax

Ghana has become the first country to get a second delivery of vaccines from the World Health Organization-backed Covax facility after India, who manufactures the shots, halted exports to face its own health crisis.

The batch of 350,000 AstraZeneca Plc vaccines made by the Serum Institute of India arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo Friday, Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, a Ministry of Health official, said by phone from the capital, Accra.

Congo gave up 1.3 million Covid shots to other countries due to its inability to distribute them before their expiry. The remaining 950,000 vaccines will likely be sent to other African countries.

Ghana was the first country to receive vaccines from Covax, an initiative which aims to provide at least 2 billion free doses to lower-income countries.

It had only taken delivery of 600,000 out of an expected 2.4 million doses, when India’s export restrictions affected supplies to 60 countries, including 38 in Africa, according to the vaccine group, Gavi.