Ghana becomes 1st country to receive COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX
As Manchester United and Rangers look sure to progress, AC Milan will face Red Star Belgrade in a charged tie after it was held to a 2-2 stalemate in the 1st leg
received the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX yesterday, a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free, as the world races to contain the pandemic. COVAX, launched last April to help ensure a fairer distribution of coronavirus vaccines between rich and poor nations, said it would deliver 2 billion doses to its members by the end of the year.
“We are pleased that Ghana has become the first country to receive the COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility,” the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which organized the shipment from Mumbai, said in a joint statement with the World Health Organization (WHO) – both backers of COVAX. It said the 600,000 doses of the AstraZenecaOxford vaccine licensed by the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India, are part of an initial tranche of deliveries “headed to several low and middle-income countries.” COVAX had said it aimed to deliver 2,412,000 doses of the vaccine to Ghana.
“This morning #Ghana makes history as the 1st country in the world to receive these vaccines. Together lets ensure that everyone can be protected,” UNICEF Ghana said in a statement on Twitter.
The West African nation has recorded 80,759 COVID-19 cases and 582 deaths since the start of the pandemic. These figures are believed to fall short of the real toll as the number of tests is low. Health workers and other front-line staff are meant to be among the first to receive doses. COVAX, led by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), had anticipated a first round of deliveries to take place in March with some early shipments occurring in late February.
The continent, relatively spared by the pandemic, was the last except Oceania to reach the threshold of 100,000 deaths, which Europe crossed in April 2020. At the height of the pandemic in January, Africa had 906 deaths per day. To help speed up immunization of the continent’s 1.3 billion people, the African Union said it had secured 270 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for delivery this year.
The WHO on Monday blasted wealthy countries for hogging COVID-19 vaccines. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some rich countries’ direct deals with manufacturers had meant that previously-agreed vaccine allocations for poorer countries, via the COVAX program, were being reduced. Ghebreyesus urged wealthy nations to share vaccine doses with COVAX, saying the goal of equitable distribution was “in jeopardy.”
“So far 210 million doses of vaccine have been administered globally, but half of those are in just two countries,” Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Tuesday. “More than 200 countries are yet to administer a single dose.”
restrictions mean Arsenal will play the home leg of its Europa League last-32 tie against Benfica today in Greece, with the Gunners one of five British sides looking to secure a spot in the draw for the next round.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal went to Rome last week to play the first, away leg of its tie against Benfica due to travel restrictions between the U.K. and Portugal, and those same restrictions saw the return moved from London to Greece, with the Karaiskakis stadium in the Athens port of Piraeus, home of Olympiakos, the venue for today’s encounter.
Perhaps ominously, it was Olympiakos who knocked the Gunners out of last season’s Europa League but Arsenal will hope to get the better of Benfica after drawing 1-1 in Rome, where Bukayo Saka’s equalizer gave them the advantage on away goals heading into the return.
With Arsenal sitting in mid-table in the Premier League, this competition presents the only viable route into next season’s Champions League for Arteta’s team. Benfica, meanwhile, is seeking solace in Europe having won just once in seven Portuguese league games to drop to fourth, a huge 15 points behind leaders Sporting.
MAN UTD AS GOOD AS THROUGH
Manchester United already has one foot in the last 16 after an emphatic 4-0 win over Real Sociedad last week,
making the most of the fact the first leg of that tie was switched from Spain to Italy after the Spanish government introduced a ban on arrivals by air from the U.K.
It hardly seems especially fair on La Real that, having been deprived home advantage in the first leg, it now has to go to Old Trafford for the return, but this match is effectively now a dead rubber after a brace by Bruno Fernandes helped Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side cruise to victory in Turin.
Meanwhile, Leicester City, who is behind second-placed United in the Premier League only on goal difference, does have work still to do in the return leg of its tie at home against Czech champions Slavia Prague after a 0-0 draw last week.
The draw for the last 16 takes place Friday, with Tottenham Hotspur expected
to feature too, having won 4-1 in the first leg of its tie against Wolfsberg of Austria, a match that was played in Budapest. Its return is on Wednesday.
RANGERS PRIMED TO PROGRESS
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers need just seven points from its last eight games to clinch the Scottish title and so they can focus their energy on Europe, as they look to reach the Europa League last 16 for the second season running.
The Glasgow giants came from behind twice to win 4-3 in Belgium in the first leg against Antwerp last week, with Borna Barisic’s second penalty of the game, in the last minute, proving decisive. At home this season, even without fans, the Rangers have been untouchable, with 18 wins and a draw in 19 games and just seven goals conceded.
The fitness of prolific right-back
James Tavernier, who came off in the first leg, could be crucial.
MILAN FACES RED STAR
The first meeting of two former European champions in AC Milan and Red Star Belgrade lived up to expectations, with the Serbians twice coming from behind to draw 2-2 at home in last week’s first leg, Milan Pavkov scoring its second equalizer in injury time.
Milan will look to bounce back to the winning ways after it suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the derby against Inter last Sunday.
It will once again bank on its talismanic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic to provide the necessary fire power in front of goal.