'Obroni waawu' vaccine in Ghana, a recipe for entrenchment of anti-vax in society

Vaccines stimulate the body's adaptive immunity, and help prevent sickness from an infectious disease. Vaccination has been a potent medical intervention that has curbs many diseases. We can talk about the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the elimination of polio and tetanus in many countries. The emergence of Covid-19 vaccines provided hopes that the pandemic that has crippled the world was going to end in the archives of eradicated diseases soon.

The developed countries that had huge resources started to battle over shipments of the doses and Africa’s concerns were relegated to the background. But developing a new vaccine itself takes between 5 and 15 years therefore all available Covid-19 vaccines cab be best described trial vaccines.

In the midst of scuffling for vaccine doses by the West, Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper reported that AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine that was seen as one of the world’s best hopes for overcoming coronavirus has been largely ineffective in older people. Although the pharma executives issued a denial but the publication’s fundamental claim ascribed to German officials was ominous evidence of worsening credibility with the EU leaders and European regulators casting doubts over AstraZeneca’s efficacy data.

After EU nations secured doses of AstraZeneca, the leaders are rethinking because citizens are nursing doubts about the efficacy of the vaccine. The big EU nations are not sure about what to do with their stockpile in the midst of the drug experiencing a snub by their citizens. France has administered only 7% of the 2.5m doses, Germany, less than 20% of the 1.45m doses, and both Italy and Spain have halted the use of AstraZeneca. The most eloquent pro-vaccine EU leader, Emmanuel Macron has described AstraZeneca as quasi-ineffective towards the elderly and German chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledges the mass rejection of the vaccine in the federation.

The leaders of the block are now finding it difficult to deal with the stockpile of AstraZeneca. They are aware of possible legal bleaches with the big pharma giant so a resort to the ignored COVAX scheme is inevitable. It is interesting that when a particular vaccine lost its credibility, it finds its way to the COVAX scheme, and shipment to Africa begins. What the beloved president of Ghana can use to help the citizens is the most mistrusted vaccines in the developed world AstraZeneca. How long can Ghana live on Obroni wawu? Should the Obroni die before we live? Should we always live on the rejected second-hand carcass of the Obroni?

Ironically, most of the Ghanaians leaders were educated in the developed world therefore, Ghanaians believe they could use their exposure to protect their interest in the diplomatic levels but the leaders turn out either to be traitors or act like ignorant puppets serving the whims of the developed economies. This attitude has reinforced the perception of the African as tabular rasa. The tabular rasa notion, associated with white supremacists ideology, identifies black completion as a symbol of ignorance and thus portrays Africans as cognitively impotent. On the contrary, there are competent scientists in Africa who when resourced can save the world, but African politicians refuse to provide the foundation to support them to shine.

The African image has been insulted, abused, threatened, and trampled upon due to self-centered, ignorant, and corrupt political leadership that have been enshrined in Africa. I remember a Ghanaian professor, who was manufacturing plant fuel (diesel) that regulators attested to its efficiency, but the Rawlins/Kuffour governments ignored him, and now he is late. This is a huge waste of Ghanaians resources but these leaders waste huge tax payers money on frivolities, such as fueling national jets for entertainment purposes.

This government should know that Ghanaians like most Africans are cautious when it comes to taking injections and vaccines. The majority of people trust herbal cure than conventional interventions. We are spiritually alert and conscious of human’s harmony with nature, therefore to get people to vaccinate, the government should not start with a discredited vaccine because it will go a long way to entrench the anti-vax, culture among the population. Ghanaian leaders should recognize that the AstraZeneca vaccine still has emergency use status and has failed in many trials.

Even in South Africa, research findings indicate that AstraZeneca provides less protection against the SARS-CoV-2 variant that can apparently dodge key antibodies. The vaccine’s efficacy level is pegged below 25%. This variant strand is already in Ghana and needs immediate but effective interventions. In the wake of the new finding, South Africa has halted plans to use the vaccine. So why is Ghana's leadership insisting on injecting the masses with such discredited chemicals whose long-term consequences are unknown?

I wish to call on the government of Ghana, to look at possible hazards associated with the disposal of the vaccine, and the fact that the emergency nature of the vaccine means, the long-term effect on the people cannot be quantified and when it begins to fail, the anti-vaxxer campaign will prevail. This will be devastating to the nation so far as the fight against the pandemic is concerned. Ghanaian leaders should be up and doing, they should start empowering the scientific community to produce medication and vaccines to keep the people going instead of relying on 'Obroni wawu 'vaccines and other medications.

The open display of vaccination by the political leadership would have little effect if someone known for taking the vaccine succumbs to the disease. The public vaccination of politicians can be seen as normal doses of prescribed medication for them because there is no way to verify the chemical composition of the jabs.

Furthermore, the health official administering the vaccine did not abide by the Corona precaution protocol. So, we cannot be sure that the first and second couple really took the discredited vaccine!! We Africans have a duty to uphold our dignity and that of our generation. We should stop the attempt to use Africa as a dumping ground for failed and outdated technologies. We say no to 'Obroni Waawu' vaccines!!