Dumsor is a threat to covid-19 vaccine safety — Omane Boamah

Former Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah says the ongoing intermittent power supply is a threat to the safety of COVID-19 vaccines meant for inoculation against the virus in the country.

He believes that the directive by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Africa to keep expired vaccines should be a great worry to Ghana’s health sector and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Omane Bomah expressed his skepticism on his social media page about the development and called for assurances from the global international health agency that the lives of ordinary citizens are not at risk.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has good intentions here. Africa, do not get them wrong. But the normative deviates significantly from our lived reality.”

“For example, how are the vaccines faring in ‘Dumsor’ in Ghana now? Ghanaians need to know, to be assured that the ‘expired vaccines’ will be fit for purpose even if for theoretical reasons”, he wrote on Facebook.

He however called for calm among the Ghanaian public and added that “the best vaccine is to stick to the protocols: Handwashing with soap under running water, using face masks, applying alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and social distancing.”

See his full post below:

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has good intentions here. Africa, do not get them wrong.

But the normative (what should) deviates significantly from our lived reality. For example, how are the vaccines faring in ‘Dumsor’ in Ghana now?

Ghanaians need to know to be assured the “expired vaccines” will be fit for purpose even if for theoretical reasons.

Dear friend, do not panic.

This is why I said several months ago that, the best vaccine is to stick to the protocols: Handwashing with soap under running water, using face masks, applying alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and social distancing.

Any reasonable observer of the worldwide vaccine supply chain and the associated geopolitics knew Ghana’s late vaccine strategy including the procurement plan was resting on wobbling feet.”

I urge you to #staysafe because #covidisstillhere. #PureHealth