Ghana to decide on COVID-19 vaccines soon

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed that the Committee set up to recommend the appropriate decision on the deployment of a safe Covid-19 vaccine in Ghana has concluded its work enabling the government to begin discussions with vaccine manufacturing companies.

The President made this known Tuesday in an address at the 72nd Annual New Year School and Conference in Accra.

He said the goal of the discussion was to order the most suitable vaccine for Ghana.

He said: "Through the advances of science we now have vaccines that are already being administered in some countries that could help control and eventually end the pandemic.  The Committee formed by government to recommend the appropriate decision on COVID-19 vaccines has completed its work, enabling government to begin discussions with vaccine-manufacturing companies with the goal of ordering the suitable doses of the vaccine for use in Ghana. Details of this will be announced very soon".

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COVID-19 vaccine approval

Ghana's FDA has not yet approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use in the country and last week issued a Public Health Alert against the patronage of any vaccine.

However, the United States (US) FDA has approved two vaccines; Moderna's vaccine on December 18, 2020, and the Pfizer vaccine on December 11. The vaccines are currently being distributed across the US to battle the pandemic.

The United Kingdom (UK) has also approved three vaccines; the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.

The Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines each require two doses and you are not fully vaccinated until a week after your second shot.

Meanwhile, Guinea late last year began vaccinating against COVID-19 with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on an experimental basis, starting with government officials. It ordered only 55 doses of the Russian vaccine.