COVID-19: Ghana to get first batch of vaccine today
Ghana is expected to take delivery of its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines later today, according to the Minister for Information-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
In brief comments at the Conference and Donor Presentation for the Sustainable Development of Yendi Municipal Hospital on Sunday, he noted that he was at the programme “though I have another engagement on our COVID-19 vaccines that are arriving early [Monday] morning.”
The Food and Drugs Authority has approved the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines for use in Ghana. The government has also considered Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The government has already indicated that it had plans to purchase 350,000 doses of the AstraZeneca by the end of February.
The vaccine rollout has been earmarked for between March and October. Mr. Oppong Nkrumah earlier confirmed that some government officials will be taking the vaccine publicly as a way of instilling confidence in the process.
There will also be public sensitisation campaigns by the Local Government Service, Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, National Commission for Civic Education and Information Services Department to educate the public on the vaccination.
The Greater Accra, Ashanti and Western regions will receive priority in the rollout because of the prevalence of infection in these areas, according to the Ghana Health Service.
Ghana has had 80,253 cases of the virus and 577 deaths. The country currently has 6,658 active cases of infection, according to the latest update from the Ghana Health Service.
