US lauds Ghana over coronavirus vaccination

The United States has congratulated Ghana on the successful start of the COVID-19 vaccine campaign.

This campaign was made possible through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The United States recently announced a commitment to provide an initial $2 billion – out of a total planned $4 billion – to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, making the United States the single largest contributor to the international response to COVID-19.

Ghana became the first country in the world to have received COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the US contribution will support the purchase and delivery of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations in 92 low and middle income countries.

This support is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy.

In view of the launch and the example set by the first and second couples of Ghana and other eminent persons by receiving the first vaccinations, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie Sullivan reiterates the United States partnership with Ghana and congratulates the government of Ghana for its tireless commitment to reduce transmission and halt the spread of the virus, paving the way to build a stronger and more resilient Ghana.

The US Ambassador encourages everyone to “Protect Yourself, Protect Your Family, Get Vaccinated Against Coronavirus,” the theme of the vaccination campaign.

The US government will provide additional funding to the COVAX facility through 2022 and will work with other donors to make further pledges and commitments to meet the facility’s critical needs.

It is committed to working with partners and governments to support global Covid-19 vaccination efforts, with a focus on vaccinating vulnerable populations.

For 60 years, the US government, through USAID, has worked with Ghana’s health sector to build capacity and strengthen services that have contributed to improving the health of Ghanaians.

To support Ghana’s COVID-19 response, to date, USAID has provided $19 million to address the immediate and medium-term effects of COVID-19 on the health, agriculture, and education sectors, and to support the hard-hit private sector.

USAID supports the Ministry of Health to train health workers in COVID-19 critical care, disseminate social and behaviour change messages to increase knowledge and awareness around Covid-19, including increasing the number of people who receive the Covid-19 vaccine and deliver life-saving supplies and commodities across the country.

In addition to USAID’s efforts, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also provided critical technical assistance to strengthen contact tracing, surveillance, and laboratory activities.

The U.S. Department of Defense has coordinated donations of personal protective equipment and medical supplies to aid frontline health care workers as well as testing supplies to increase Ghana’s testing capacity.

The U.S. government’s Power Africa initiative recently supported the electrification of 65 health facilities in the Ashanti region with solar power, enabling the facilities to operate at night, diversify their services, and ensure a vaccine cold chain that extends into rural areas.

Additionally, the United States facilitated the Ghana Armed Forces redeployment of one of the two U.S.-donated state-of-the-art peacekeeping field hospitals into a COVID-19 treatment facility.