Ghana to start 2nd dose of COVID-19 jabs: president

ACCRA - Ghana will start to administer the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said Sunday.

The start of the vaccination of the second dose was made possible by the receipt of 350,000 additional doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility, the president said in his 25th nationwide COVID-19 update.

"These will be added to existing stock to provide the second jab for the 360,000 persons in the 43 districts who received their first jabs from March 1 to March 9," said Akufo-Addo.

Ghana was also expecting about 300,000 Sputnik V vaccine already approved by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority to boost the country's preventive efforts, he added.

"Efforts are being made to ensure that those who received their first jabs after March 9, will, in due course, receive their second jabs," Akufo-Addo said.

He said that the government would continue to impose restrictions "until the country achieves herd immunity to help return life to normalcy."