Efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine lasts for 12 weeks - GHS

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed that the AstraZeneca vaccine has the efficacy to fight the deadly Coronavirus.

According to the Director-General of GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, those who received the first dose of the vaccine are protected against the disease for 12 weeks.

COVID-19 has over the year infected thousands of Ghanaians and claimed hundreds of lives.

Currently, Ghana's active cases have improved as it has reduced to 1362 as compared to previous months.

The recovery rate is also impressive as the nation records 89,530 recoveries/discharge and daily new cases have also minimized to forty-six (46).

This improvement is primarily attributed to the populace's strict adherence to the safety protocols and also the fact that over 800,000 Ghanaians, mainly the President and Vice President together with their families, government officials, media practitioners and health workers among others, have received the first batch of the vaccines.

More vaccines are expected to be procured by the Government of Ghana to ensure about 20 million Ghanaians are vaccinated to rid the country of the deadly viral disease.

In an interview on Peace FM's morning programme ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Partick Kuma Aboagye highly commended the attitude of Ghanaians towards vaccines and believed vaccines are the surest way to curb the disease.

"The vaccination is minimum time that is the most critical but we know up to 12 weeks (90 days) from now by the percentage we've given you plus the fact that 80-90% of the people are protected from severe illness. For you to die from sickness is out," he said.

He encouraged the AstraZeneca recipients to go for their second dose as the vaccine's efficacy isn't complete until there is a second jab.

''The first dose provide 76 percent of protection . . . so you have to go for the second dose.''