Behind the history - making headlines of the first COVAX vaccine shipment
Meet our experts – History was made when the COVAX Facility first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines landed in Ghana in February 2021. Arthur Osuji, UNICEF Ghana Supply and Logistics Specialist, on his work behind the headlines and the vaccine roll-out.
How are you involved in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana?
Our role was to help guide the Government of Ghana in the planning and preparation stage to ensure that when the vaccines arrived the country was ready to receive and rapidly distribute them.
As we all know, this vaccine is new to everybody. There was a lot of planning between UNICEF and the Government in advance. We were particularly focused on advising the Government as new information became available on vaccine availability, the different vaccine candidates, and the potential cold chain requirements.
For example, at the beginning of the year, we were looking into Pfizer and the ultra-cold chain requirements this vaccine would need, and what that would look like if it was rolled out across Ghana. We had to ask if and how we could invest in a new system of cold chain infrastructure to accommodate this vaccine. Luckily, in this part of the world, we ended up with the Astra Zeneca vaccine that does not require ultra-cold chain conditions.
I felt so proud seeing our efforts coming to fruition, to know that UNICEF is playing a key role in ending this pandemic.
How did you feel when that plane landed in Ghana with the world’s first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility?
I was there on the tarmac when the plane landed. It was so exciting. I can hardly describe it, you really had to be there.
I felt so proud of UNICEF. We are working to ensure the prompt and equitable availability of vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. I felt so proud seeing our efforts coming to fruition, to know that UNICEF is playing a key role in ending this pandemic.
What makes COVAX unique compared to other major missions or projects you have been involved in with UNICEF?
What is unique here is the collaboration from all stakeholders. The Government, donors, development partners – everyone is all hands-on deck to find the solutions. We had more resources, not only in terms of funding but in terms of knowledge, in terms of information, in terms of guidance and experience, to address the challenges we faced. And that is why the roll-out has been so successful so far in Ghana. Already we have reached 80 per cent of health workers with the first shot.
Working with World Health Organization and the Government, we jointly developed the National Vaccine Deployment Plan, which was the key tool to ensure Ghana was ready for the vaccines. The plan outlined all the potential issues that could occur, such as waivers, customs clearance, and the challenge of distribution and delivery to remote areas, to the last mile. Then, we worked to develop and implement plans to overcome these issues, ensuring we were ready to go as soon as the vaccines touched down.
There were so many details to consider. For example, if you wanted to vaccinate only health workers, and you open a vial which provides 10 vaccine doses, but there are only 7 health workers present to be vaccinated, how do you use the remaining doses that day to prevent wastage? Thankfully, the plan was successful. The first COVAX supplied vaccines have been fully utilized, because there was a clear plan on how to use them.
We put our heads together to discuss and mitigate the potential issues – from the supply chain to vaccine utilization.
What is the biggest challenge you are facing in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines?
Currently, the main challenge is on vaccine availability for immediate use. There is a global shortage, exacerbated by the spike in COVID-19 cases in India. And other countries have pre-booked large quantities, so the supplies we need are not, at this point, available in the market.
I know we are working extremely hard at all levels of UNICEF to overcome this, and I am sure very soon we will see the flow of vaccines returning.
The other challenge was vaccine hesitancy by the population. However, we anticipated this challenge, and through strong advocacy by UNICEF and the Government it was resolved. The vaccine was well received in Ghana and vaccine hesitancy has not been a major issue.
Another challenge that we encountered is the short expiry date of the vaccines. The vaccines we received were manufactured in December and most of them would expire in June. We addressed this by ensuring there was a strong plan in place to ensure the rapid distribution and uptake of the vaccines. Now, all the vaccines have been utilized; they are already in somebody's arm protecting them.
In 20 years, how would you like people to tell the story of the COVAX Facility vaccine roll-out to children and young people?
I would like it to be told that UNICEF was involved in ending the pandemic. I would like it to be known that UNICEF used its experience, its convening power – bringing together governments, vendors, different markets – to ensure that all countries have a fair share, an equitable share of the vaccines that are available before it was too late.
