Ghana’s COVID-19 response: the Black Star can do even better

Quakyi, Nana Kofi; Asante, Nana Ama Agyemang; Nartey, Yvonne Ayerki; Bediako, Yaw; Sam-Agudu, Nadia A.

doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005569

Cited by 44 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Bans were also imposed on public gatherings. Some of these interventions were subsequently lifted on 20 April 2020 following a three-week restriction on movement within parts of the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi metropolis—the two most populous regions in the country [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. These public health measures were also imposed as a stop-gap measure against an anticipated development of safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccines, without which containing the spread of the virus would be almost impossible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Vaccine Hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Survey of the Knowledge and Attitudes among Adults to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana

et al. 2021

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The impact of COVID-19 vaccination programmes on disease transmission, morbidity and mortality relies heavily on the population’s willingness to accept the vaccine. We explore Ghanaian adult citizens’ vaccine hesitancy attitudes and identify the likelihood of participation or non-participation in the government’s effort to get citizens vaccinated. A fully anonymised cross-sectional online survey of 2345 adult Ghanaians was conducted from 23 to 28 February 2021. Differences in intentions regarding COVID-19 vaccination were explored using Pearson Chi-square tests. Additionally, multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse the factors associated with willingness to receive vaccines. Responses were weighted using the iterative proportional fitting technique to generate a representative sample. About half (51%) of mostly urban adult Ghanaians over 15 years are likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine if made generally available. Almost a fifth (21%) of the respondents were unlikely to take the vaccine, while another 28% were undecided. Additionally, we find differences in vaccine hesitancy among some socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and primary sources of information. Attaining the proverbial 63% to 70% herd immunity threshold in Ghana is only possible if the preventive vaccination programmes are combined with an enhanced and coordinated public education campaign. Such a campaign should focus on promoting the individual and population-level benefits of vaccination and pre-emptive efforts towards addressing misinformation about vaccines.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Vaccine Hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Survey of the Knowledge and Attitudes among Adults to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana

et al. 2021

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“…In effect, these misconceptions have been fuelled by religious beliefs, inadequate information, and misinformation about the virus. All these misconceptions and misinformation have led to a situation where a section of Ghanaians simply disregard the safety measures instituted to curb the spread of the virus (Quakyi et al, 2021).…”

Section: The Spread Of the Virus In Ghana: Key Issues And Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronicling Country-Specific Response to Covid-19 Pandemic in Africa: From the Perspective of Ghana

2021

NMMC

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Health is closely tied to human development and the overall development of a nation. Indeed, throughout history, improved public health has been a major determinant of development. Within this context, the consequences of infectious diseases including the novel Coronavirus are not in doubt. Particularly, the COVID-19 pandemic has destabilized the much-talked about world civilization with many nations still under various infection control measures. Globally, the pandemic has resulted in several losses in the areas of jobs, income, government revenues, foreign direct investments, among others. Beyond the incalculable economic losses, the pandemic constitutes a great threat to physical, social and mental health. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, several studies have been conducted on the experiences of different countries to help deepen global knowledge on the pandemic. This review paper chronicles the Ghanaian experience of COVID-19 and attempts to probe whether the country's overall response to the disease is worthy of emulation by other nations. Part one introduces the paper by looking at the intersection of health and development, a brief history of COVID-19, challenges associated with the pandemic and measures some countries have employed to rebuild their economies. Part two describes the key issues underpinning the spread of the virus in Ghana whilst part three considers the efforts key stakeholders employed to contain and manage the spread of the virus. Part four focuses on the challenges Ghana has faced in the management of the pandemic whereas the concluding part presents the core issues which should engage the attention of stakeholders.

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“…Developing countries were undeniably crippled by the prolonged lockdowns due to the pandemic, and disparities between the developed and developing world continue to mount as evidenced by the uneven access and distribution of the COVID‐19 vaccine. Like many countries in Africa, Ghana is currently experiencing a second wave of infections (Quakyi et al, 2021 ; Salyer et al, 2021 ). Ever since the country reported its first two cases on March 12, 2020, there have been cases reported in all of its 16 administrative regions (Sarpong & Obeng, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between March 2020 and the end of April 2021, a total number of 92,740 positive cases was reported, and out of this, there have been 1584 active cases, 780 deaths, and 90,376 recovered/discharged cases (Ghana Health Service, 2021 ). While Ghana has one of the best responses to COVID‐19 on the continent, there is still a need for improvement with regard to testing, reporting, and contact tracing (Quakyi et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, continuing prevention measures (lockdown, distancing, and masks) will be necessary until herd immunity is reached.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, it has been estimated that most lower‐middle‐income countries will not achieve widespread coverage until late 2022 or even early 2023 (Demarais, 2021 ). Although the Ghanaian government stated widespread coverage in the country could be reached by October 2021 (Quakyi et al, 2021 ), there is currently a significant vaccine shortage, which cannot be remedied by relying solely on vaccine doses supplied from COVAX and the African Union initiative, AVATT. Developing a pandemic vaccine strategy is a dynamic process that is urgently needed and currently unfolding in many countries (Lancet, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Critical prerequisites for Covid‐19 vaccine acceleration: A developing economy perspective

Hinson

Hein

Tettey

et al. 2021

Journal of Public Affairs

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This study aims to explore the critical prerequisites for accelerating the distribution of the COVID‐19 vaccine in developing countries by using Ghana as a case study. A qualitative study method and content analysis approach was used. In‐depth interviews were conducted with health experts from the Ghana Health Service, World Health Organization (WHO), AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Medtronic Inc. in Ghana. Our analysis of data revealed that new structures, committees, advisory bodies and lines of communication in government evolved during this pandemic and are underlying the current strategy development and decision‐making on COVID‐19 vaccines. The interviews gave insights into six major factors that will aid COVID‐19 vaccine acceleration in Ghana. These factors are: (1) Access to vaccines through delivery, (2) national manufacturing of vaccines, (3) choosing the best vaccine candidates, (4) financial resources, (5) transparency, and (6) vaccine roll‐out and administration. These results could guide policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in prioritizing activities that will aid COVID‐19 vaccine acceleration in Ghana and other lower‐middle‐income countries, tailored to their specific context. As a recommendation, the Ghanaian government should embrace a multisectoral synergy approach to fight the disease. The study also provides insights into how vaccine adoption can be accelerated in the case of future pandemics.

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Ghana’s COVID-19 response: the Black Star can do even better

Cited by 44 publications

References 2 publications

Examining Vaccine Hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Survey of the Knowledge and Attitudes among Adults to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana

Examining Vaccine Hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Survey of the Knowledge and Attitudes among Adults to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana

Chronicling Country-Specific Response to Covid-19 Pandemic in Africa: From the Perspective of Ghana

Critical prerequisites for Covid‐19 vaccine acceleration: A developing economy perspective

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