Adhere to coronavirus safety protocol - Professor Ampofo

Professor William Ampofo, Head of Virology Department of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has cautioned recipients of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination jabs, to assiduously adhere to all safety protocols until the end of the pandemic.

He said his fears were premised on the fact that some people in other jurisdictions despite taking the two jabs of the vaccination, subsequently died of the virus.

Prof. Ampofo who is a member of both local and international task forces in the fight against the pandemic shared his views at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Annual Public Forum on Wednesday.

The three-day event was held under the theme: Immunology and Epidemiology underpinning new and emerging vaccines.

Prof. Ampofo said he was aware that in the United States of America, about 10,000 people have died from the virus despite taking the vaccines.

He was however of the opinion that the vaccination was a better option to fight the pandemic than any other available solution currently.

Prof. Ampofo said with the jabs the herd immunity of the populace could be guaranteed while also ensuring that human to human infections were reduced.

He assured those who received one jab while awaiting the next jab to exercise restraint since one jab could be enough to protect them in the interim.

The virologist said the government was doing all its best to procure the needed vaccines to give the second jab to recipients of the first one while looking in the long term to cover all nationals living in the country.

He was of the opinion that the virus had been less lethal in Africa and Ghana in particular because the virus has been in existence since 1962 in the country and might have mutated.

Prof. Ampofo said the earlier virus detected in the country was less lethal and was treated as common respiratory infections without any fuss or clinical admissions.

Prof. Ampofo said he was convinced without any scientific proof that the virus had mutated to a variant which was less deadly to Africans, adding that the conviction was reinforced by the fact that while influenza, another respiratory disease had been a major challenge in the West, warranting a vaccine, it had not been so in the case of Africa, particularly, Ghana.