Although AstraZeneca has said it is withdrawing its vaccines from the market due to adverse side effect, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) says the jabs are being withdrawn for commercial reasons.
Producers of the vaccines that were administered on people at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic have announced that they are withdrawing their product from the global market.
The company has acknowledged that there is an adverse effect known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) which is uncommon.
Amongst the symptoms the TTS can unleash include unilateral leg pain and swelling, chest discomfort, or one-sided body numbness which comes as a result of formation of blood clots that obstruct the veins or arteries.
Persons affected with thrombosis can be easily affected by complications including stroke or heart attacks which can be very fatal.
The company said the withdrawal was due to a surplus of available updated vaccines since the pandemic.
Addressing journalists during a tour as part of the COVID-19 Vaccination and Child Health Promotion Week/African Vaccination Week Campaign in various parts of the Ga East Municipality in Accra, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye clarified that the reason for the manufacturer’s withdrawal was not due to medical implications but because of competition.
“They are withdrawing for commercial reasons in the sense that there are superior vaccines in the market.”
“And so if you are in a market and you will not be able to compete why produce something when others will go for some other brand,” he said Wednesday, May 08, 2024.
