Immunologist for the Noguchi Medical Research Institute (NMIMR), Dr. Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi says Ghana’s window of opportunity to have achieved herd immunity has passed.
On his accord, herd immunity can only be achieved if vaccinations are done within a space of 1 to 3 months.
“If we get enough vaccines to vaccinate a good proportion of the populace, there is the possibility of achieving herd immunity. Herd immunity depends on the efficacy of the vaccine and we need an efficacy rate of between 80 to 85 percent to achieve that.
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The targeted population for achieving herd immunity must all be vaccinated in a period of 1 to 3 months but that margin has passed. I doubt we can achieve herd immunity because the vaccination exercise has been spread across to December. The stretch of the vaccination period won’t help us and the timeline is an estimate. Herd immunity can be acchieved only if the vaccination is spread across a short period of time,” he insisted.
Speaking to Sefah-Danquah on the Happy Morning Show, Dr. Asamoah Kusi noted that when the AstraZeneca vaccine was introduced into the system, there was no Delta Variant of COVID-19. To him, with the Delta Variant at play now, the immunity of persons who took shots of AstraZeneca had reduced. “Now, those who recently received the vaccines have a higher level of immunity as compared to those who took it earlier.”
According to him, Europe is discussing booster shots because they know immunity has been reduced.
He noted that in Ghana, some people have only received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and that’s a problem.
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The Immunologist indicated that natural immunity is out of the question and urged Ghanaians to stick to the prevention protocols.
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He charged government to prioritize persons with underlying conditions during the vaccination exercise adding, “people who receive the vaccines normally suffer from headache, joint and body pains whilst others have no reactions at all. This is your immune system reacting to a foreign substance introduced into your body.”