Outgoing Merkel fulfils promise of 1.5m AstraZeneca vaccines to Ghana

Outgoing German Chancellor Frau Angela Dorothea Merkel has fulfilled her promise to her Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to send 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccines to Ghana.

The promise made in August was one of the highlights of President Akufo-Addo’s visit to the European country.

Chancellor Merkel, who leaves office after Sunday’s elections following over 15 years of reign as Germany’s head of government, pledged over 70 million vaccines to African nations.

She is said to have initially promised to give Ghana 1.2 million out of the total to Africa. An additional 300,000 was later added, according to the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin.

On Sunday, September 26, a Deputy Minister of Health, Mahama Asei Seini, was at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to receive the consignment on behalf of government.

This is expected to boost the vaccination drive in the country.

The government has targeted vaccinating 20 million of the country’s population by the end of the year.

So far, most of the 1,643,172 persons vaccinated in the country have been administered with AstraZeneca.

Only a few have received Russian-made Sputnik-V and South African-made Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

The country has in store Moderna vaccines from the US and was recently promised 1.3 million Pfizer vaccines by US Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Deputy Minister for Health, Hon Mahama Asei Seini, today received 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the government of Ghana from the German government in support of the fight against COVID-19 in Ghana. pic.twitter.com/Jx5WDZy0Mh

— Ministry of Information (@moigovgh) September 26, 2021