Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Titus Beyuo, has revealed that the vaccine rollout by government to inoculate citizens against the COVID-19 virus are safe and efficacious despite some contrary sentiments.

According to him, per data available, the procured vaccines are safe for use by all and sundry. Dr Beyuo indicated that health officials have over the period expressed that the vaccine does not prevent individuals from contracting the virus as it rather minimizes the mortality rate of persons infected.

The GMA Deputy General Secretary was addressing some concerns raised by the Concerned Ghanaian Doctors who posited that vaccines being used in the country are no longer safe as recent studies show that the vaccinated are rather being agents in the spread of Covid-19 despite being inoculated.

“The data we have in Ghana shows us that these vaccines are safe and efficacious… The vaccine has demonstrated clearly that it can prevent death, ICU admission and reduce critical severe injuries. All these data are available. So, to cite a few incidences and global data and come to that conclusion is unfortunate”.
Dr. Titus Beyuo

Dr Beyuo explained that currently there is a joint committee that meets “every two weeks” to review all vaccination data in Ghana with adverse events following vaccination being studied closely. He noted that if somebody gets an “event after vaccination”, there are scientific ways to establish the “causality” to show whether the problem actually came from the vaccine or it is coincidental event.

He insisted that the Concerned Ghanaian Doctors have blundered by not using the suitable channels to register their concerns, which would have yielded requisite information to enlighten them.

“It is rather unfortunate they are not using the right medium to address the concerns. As a scientific community, there are better ways to address the concerns”.
Dr. Titus Beyuo

Concerned Ghanaian Doctors fight against vaccine rollout

On Monday, January 10, 2022, some eleven doctors wrote to President Akufo-Addo to issue a directive to halt the nationwide vaccine rollout in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The doctors maintained that the risks associated with these vaccines, per the data studied available, outweigh the potential benefits.

The Concerned Ghanaian Doctors cited the UK and Israel as countries still battling with the virus despite a high vaccination rate of their respective populations.

“These countries have very high vaccination rates, currently deploying booster programmes, yet they are struggling to get the virus under control especially with these new variants… Assuming as a country we are to vaccinate more than 50% of our population, are we going to continue with perpetual boosters every 3 to 6 months in an attempt to maintain vaccine induced immunity for this disease?”
Concerned Ghanaian Doctors

The doctors questioned the “end point” particularly when these vaccines do not stop infection or the spread of the virus and whether the vaccination drive is “financially feasible” for the country. They asserted that the vaccines are no longer a “priority” if there is safe, effective, affordable and freely available early treatment for Covid-19.