The Ghana government last week started meetings with vaccine manufacturers in Ghana to see the possibility of manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines locally.

The Minister of Health designate, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu who made this known in Parliament on Friday [January 29, 2021] disclosed that the government over the past three days had been meeting with the manufacturers.

He did inform Parliament that the time for manufacturing of local vaccines was now.

“We are doing quantification of numbers and we are looking at sources of funding to be able to do what will bring us the vaccines as quickly as possible,” he assured.

Distribution of facemasks

Mr Agyeman-Manu, who is MP for Dormaa Central, acknowledged that the spread of the viral disease had become worse as transmissibility was far bigger than before in the wake of detection of new variance in Ghana.

He also said the severity of illness was becoming worrisome and called on all citizens and transport unions to continue to compliment the government’s effort to curb the spread.

He further informed the House that close to about 20 million facemasks had been procured and they were being distributed to various educational institutions across the country.

He also informed Parliament that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed that the cost of COVID-19 antigen test at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) be reduced to $50 from $150.

The reduction in the cost is in response with the protocols of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that require member states to review and cap the cost of COVID-19 test at $50 at various countries’ borders.