The United Kingdom (UK) is committed to opening up international travel and is using its COVID-19 vaccine certification process to enable all those wishing to enter the UK to do so safely.
The British High Commission in Accra, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said: “The UK is committed to global access to vaccines, we are among the largest funders to COVAX and, with our strong support COVAX has already delivered millions of vaccines across the world, including Ghana”.
It said in June, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to share a further 100 million jabs with the rest of the world, 249,600 of which arrived in Ghana in August.
“We applaud Ghana’s vaccination campaign and continue to encourage all residents in Ghana to get vaccinated as soon as they are advised they are eligible by Ghana Health Service,” it said and added that it was only when we are all vaccinated can we end the spread of COVID-19.”
It said statements that COVID-19 vaccines administered in Ghana were not approved by the UK are untrue.
The said the UK recognises the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana, irrespective of where they were manufactured, as being the same as those administered in the UK.
It said high vaccine coverage would open the door to further economic recovery, international travel, and allow the UK and Ghana to build back better.
“We understand that there has been some frustration that new UK travel rules, coming into force on 4 October, will continue to require people traveling to the UK from Ghana to self-isolate despite having received two doses of recognized COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana,” the statement said.
It noted that following a pilot with the United States and the European Union, the UK was working to recognise vaccine certificates from other countries as part of a phased review of the many COVID-19 vaccine certificates issued across the world.
“This includes recognising Ghana’s vaccine certificate, and in the spirit of our long-term partnership, we are working with Ghana’s Ministry of Health to ensure that this happens as soon as possible.”