News:
May 2, 2021
Ranking member on the Committee of Health in Ghana’s Parliament, Kwabena Minta Akandoh has said it is confusing, as Ghana is working on obtaining different types of vaccine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him researchers have warned against mixing the different types of vaccine on the market now.
“It is worrying as to whether we are going to get the first kind of vaccine we use AstraZeneca, we are now talking about sputnik, but I am of the opinion that we should have something than having nothing. It is not ideal to be mixing the vaccines, we have heard of the arrival of Sputnik vaccine and we do not know what to believe anymore”.
In an answer to questions from journalists at a press conference held on the Ghana mixing the different types of vaccine, he noted that government indicated that the country would take delivery of vaccines on April 28, 2021 “today is Sunday, May 2, 2021”.
He further pointed out that the Ministry of Health appeared before the Health Committee, presented a budget and steps to the next does of vaccines, “but government composure is as if it is waiting for freebies”.
Again, they will wait until some vaccines are going to expire then they go for it. “We do not see conscious efforts by government to go and procure vaccines for this country, as COVID-19, knows no bound, “we have to be proactive.
Government has to be proactive, it has invested not less than seventeen billion (17b) Ghana cedis in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and when the Health Ministry appeared before the Health Committee, it only accounted for six hundred million (600m) Ghana cedis, he stated.
Meanwhile, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo disclosed that the second AstraZeneca vaccine consignment to fight the coronavirus will arrive in the country on Tuesday, 4 May 2021.
This is in addition to the first consignment of 600,000 vaccines that arrived on 24 February 2021.
The President also noted that by May 15, his government would have procured some 1.3 million Sputnik vaccines to help fight the virus.
“We are receiving 350,000 more AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility on Tuesday, in addition to the first consignment of 600,000 that came to hand on 24 February. By 15 May, the government would have procured some 1.3 million Sputnik vaccines,” the President stated.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com