A Virologist at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Dr. Michael Owusu has urged Ghana and African leaders to push for a single dose vaccine in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to David Akuetteh on Luv In The Morning on Luv FM, he believes it is one effective way to clear the doubts concerning vaccine delays.

“African countries should begin to look at a single dose vaccine like Johnson and Johnson…You can rest and have your piece of mind when you know that you have taken just one jab. When you are a bit uncomfortable that my time is due, it (vaccine) is not coming, then you’re a bit skeptical and you are not sure what you took is going to help you.”

Dr. Owusu continued that, “Single dose may be expensive, as the cost comes in…but I keep advocating that it is better for us to go for it. Even with the Russian vaccine, there are two components; the first one is AD26 and the second one is AD5. You have to take the AD26 and after some time you take the second one… if you take the AD26 and your time is due and the same AD26 is available, you can’t take it, you have to get the AD5.”

Ghana in February became the first country, to receive 600,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization’s GAVI-COVAX facility.

Currently, several countries including India, that produces vaccines, is experiencing her third wave of Covid infections and at her wit ends to control the spread.

According to the Africa Centre for Disease Control, the continent aims to vaccinate about 60 per cent of people in the next two years.

The KCCR Virologist meanwhile assured that, “those who have taken the first shot are better off than those who have not taken their first shot. What I know is that the Russian Sputnik V is almost in and we have several millions of these vaccines and so it’s possible that those who couldn’t take the AstraZeneca will go in for the Russian one and I think that will be helpful.”

Ghana’s Covid-19 case count as of April 20 stood at 91,928 confirmed cases, 1,422 active cases with 777 deaths.