Health News of Thursday, 28 January 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-01-28ECOWAS sets US$50 maximum cost for coronavirus testing
The measure forms part of the sub-regional body
The Economic Community for West African States has made a resolve to set a US$50 amount to be paid by citizens of member countries in order to gain access to COVID-19 testing.
This is according to a communique issued following the 58th Ordinary Session of Authority of Heads of State
Read full articleand Government on January 23, 2021.
The communique explains the measure forms part of the sub-regional body’s efforts to curb and fight the spread of the pandemic in a much timely manner. It adds that the Authority of Heads of State and Government have also agreed on a collective procurement approach for COVID-19 vaccines.
Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his part has earlier assured citizens government was working to procure vaccines by March 2021 with government set to begin negotiations with international pharmaceutical companies to source a suitable COVID-19 vaccine for Ghana.
This comes after the completion of a task by the Committee set up by Ghana’s government to make recommendations for the procurement of COVID-19 doses to fight the virus.
Meanwhile, Africa has not been spared the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic with cases recorded totalling 3.49 million so far, 2.97 million recoveries and a death toll of 87,937 according to the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, the Africa Centre for Disease Control on January 19, 2021 announced the beginning of a COVID-19 vaccine pre-order program for all African Union (AU) member states.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and AU Chairperson earlier in January announced it has secured a provisional 270 million doses of vaccines through the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team.