The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has indicated that the country may take delivery of additional COVID-19 vaccines towards the end of July 2021.
The government is struggling to meet its inoculation target of 20 million citizens by the end of the year due to the scarcity of the approved COVID-19 vaccines on the market.
This has compelled the government to try all available sources to get some vaccines but to no avail.
However, the Director of the GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, at a press briefing on the management of the outbreak in the country on Sunday, July 4, 2021, said plans are far advanced to secure some vaccines by the end of July 2021.
That notwithstanding, Dr. Kuma Aboagye urged the citizenry to continue adhering to the established COVID-19 safety protocols.
According to him, that is the only way infections can be reduced to the barest minimum.
“The non-adherence to the COVID-19 protocols is a concern, and the confirmation of the Delta variant within the community is also a concern for us. So we are urging all Ghanaians that you don’t need any further measures and that all the existing measures still work. Washing of hands, wearing of nose masks, avoiding crowds is very important whatever the variant you have. So we all need to be sure that this is really enforced.”
“A lot is ongoing, and we have indications that we may be getting some vaccines probably towards the end of the month, but the challenge is that a lot more is going on from COVAX and the donation from the USA and of course efforts to buy. So all these are ongoing and I am sure at the appropriate time, everybody will be vaccinated.”
Similar assurances by the Health Minister
A similar assurance was given by the Health Minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu last month.
He also indicated that the yet-to-be-received vaccines will be administered to persons who are yet to take their second jabs.
“…For those of us who haven’t had our second dose yet, there is a lot of hope. We have indications that are giving us hope for the very near future.”
“We are expecting vaccines from the USA, and we’ve got a promise from the UK to help us complete our second dose quickly. We don’t know the exact date, but we anticipate this in late June or early July.”
Highly-transmissible COVID-19 Delta strain in communities
The highly transmissible strain of COVID-19 which originated from India, Delta variant, is currently within the Ghanaian population.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information per the advise of the GHS.
“At 10:00hours on Friday, July 2, 2021, the Covid-19 task force was advised by Ghana Health Service, that the Delta Variant of the SARS-Cov-2 virus has been recorded within a community (i.e. non-arriving passengers) in the latest round of genomic sequencing”.
“Relevant agencies are taking the necessary steps to ensure that spread is contained. The positive persons are in good health. The task force will provide further details at 13:00hours on Sunday, July 4th, 2021”
“The public is advised to adhere strictly to the COVID-19 preventive etiquette while going about permitted activities,” Ghana Health Service indicated.
Currently, the contagious variant of Coronavirus – Delta, has been detected at the Achimota School, in the Greater Accra Region.
