The Ghana health Service, GHS is warning Ghanaians not to patronize fake COVID-19 vaccines reportedly in the system. According to the GHS only appointed health officials can be trusted to administer the jab to Ghanaians.
Programme Manager of the Extended Programme on Immunization, Kwame Amponsah Achiano says the Ghana Health Service does not deal with importation of vaccines but the Food and Drugs Authority.
However, for pandemic, the vaccines procured only through the Ministry of Health (MOH) and that is their biggest hope.
“So if fake vaccines are coming they will be coming through some means am just assuming without admitting that those vaccines will not be those that we will be using. Therefore, this serves as a warning to those who might be getting vaccines outside our system; they could be something else so I have to tell the fact that it is only the ministry that can procure the vaccines; those vaccines will even have to be validated by the FDA. If people are selling fake vaccines I bet you it is not from us”. He stated.
His statement comes on the back of reports that some countries are recording fake vaccines on their markets as a result of what the Africa Union termed Covid- 19 “vaccine war” rearing its head.
The Serum Institute of India is suspending major exports of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
With Ghana having taken its first consignment of the vaccine from India through the COVAX facility there are fears any “ Vaccine war” could affect Ghana.
Dr Achiano who spoke to Alfred Ocansey on the 3FM’s Sunrise Morning Show further said “ We have indication that we will have a new stock within the next week or two but we have it at the back of our minds that COVAX is seriously negotiating so we get the second consignment. The purchasing order is done already”.
“If you don’t have control you just pray. Within our plans we haven’t resign our faiths to only Astrazeneca . We opened up because we could read in between the lines that there was going to be global challenge even of India had opened up entirely. We opened up and planned for other vaccines. We have sputnik V already passing through the FDA verification and others”.
As of yesterday, Thursday, 26th March, 487,000 Ghanaians had been vaccinated with the first phase almost ending.
