Coronavirus: Don’t lose guard, you can be reinfected after taking vaccine – Ghanaians warned

Ghana, like many other countries, has deployed several ways of fighting the Covid-19 virus which has plagued the entire world.

Since March 12, when the country recorded its first case of the deadly virus, the government and the Ghana Health Service as well as other agencies have rolled out measures to ensure protection of the populace.

The West African State has so far recorded 771 Coronavirus death cases as of April 20, 2021.

There has however been a message of assurance with the Covid vaccination drive in Ghana. In March 2021, the government procured 600,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for essential workers, most vulnerable and persons with underlying health issues as part of efforts in fighting the virus.

A Virologist, Michael Owusu, in an interview with GhanaWeb, has cautioned the public especially persons who have received the first dose of the vaccine to not let their guards down as there are chances of getting the virus even after vaccination.

“We need to caution people to be extremely careful. If you take the first dose of the vaccine, you are not fully protected and the duration of time that you’re expected to be fully protected is even not too clear this is why even after the second dose, you still cannot lose your guard because studies are ongoing to determine how long somebody can be protected after taking the second dose. If you still don’t take the safety protocols serious, it is possible you can be reinfected. If you are reinfected you may get severe disease and possibly you may also lose your life,” he said.

He added: “The whole vaccine is being given out within a context of an experimental study because we don’t know a lot and many research is being conducted. We have to still hold on to these protocols announced by the Ghana Health Service…hopefully, if we are able to adequately vaccinate many people as possible, I am sure we can make a headway somewhere and succeed with our fight against this virus.”

Before the vaccination drive in Ghana, there was strong opposition from a section of the public who maintained that the COVID-19 vaccine was unsafe, with some adding that the vaccination exercise was a plan to reduce the population.

The media, government, Ghana Health Service were, however, able to reduce common myths and misconceptions on the vaccine with public education.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo on March 1, 2021, took the first jab of the COVAX vaccine in a live broadcast to confirm that it was safe for use.