Ghana is scheduled to take delivery of some 350,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX facility on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, President Akufo-Addo has announced.
“Indeed, we are receiving 350,000 more Astrazenca vaccines from the COVAX facility on Tuesday in addition to the first consignment of the 600,000 vaccines we received on the 24th of February 2021,” he said while addressing a mini May Day celebration at the premises of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Accra last Saturday.
Also by mid-May, the government will procure some 1.3 million doses of Sputnik V vaccines from Russia.
The government is ensuring the entire adult population of Ghana gets vaccinated by the end of the year.
“By 15th May, Government will also procure some 1.3 million Sputnik V vaccines. We are determined to vaccinate 20 million Ghanaians [i.e. the entire adult population] by the end of this year, and we remain on course to achieve this goal.” President Akufo-Addo said.
Ghanaians who were inoculated on the second of March were due to take their second doses on Tuesday, April, 27.
But the Ghana Health Service (GHS) says there is still a 4-week more window for the population who have taken the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines.
“As far as vaccination is concerned, what we have is the minimum time within which a booster dose can be given. If you do it before that minimum date you will not get any benefit. But sometimes the longer you wait, it still doesn’t matter, you can still have your second shot and get your booster dose built up.”
“Between eight and 12 weeks is the best time to give (a second dose). Even then you would have lost some percentage of the anti bodies, it is still effective enough to protect you,” the Director-General of GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye has said.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com