Ghana approves Russian vaccine Sputnik V for emergency use

General news for Saturday, February 20, 2021

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2021-02-20

Ghana has obtained approval, through the Ministry of Health, for the registration and use of the Russian vaccine against the Sputnik V coronavirus to fight the pandemic.

The approval was granted under an emergency use authorization, by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Saturday, February 20, 2021.

Ghana will now become the 31st country to use the Russian vaccine and the fifth to do so on the African continent.

The CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, explained in a statement, “Ghana’s health ministry has carefully reviewed the data on the safety and efficacy of Sputnik V also proven by the publication in The Lancet and approved the use of the vaccine.

“This is another positive example of vaccine cooperation between Russia and partners around the world to save lives and protect the population.”

Meanwhile, the effectiveness of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6%, as confirmed by data published in The Lancet, one of the oldest and most respected medical journals in the world.

It is one of only three vaccines in the world with an efficacy of over 90%. Some global health experts say the Sputnik V vaccine provides comprehensive protection against severe cases of COVID-19.

On Friday February 19, Ghana’s health ministry, during a press briefing, reiterated its intention to vaccinate some 20 million Ghanaians once COVID-19 vaccines become available.

In addition, Ghana is expected to receive a total of 2,412,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines under the COVAX platform.

According to the designated Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Ghana will receive the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine, authorized by the Serum Institute of India (SII) – referred to as “AZ / SII”.

It is estimated that Ghana could receive around 965,000 doses of AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine by the end of March 2021. This, however, would not be the only vaccine supply that the government of Ghana intends to receive or purchase.