FACTSHEET: Ghana FDA announces findings following a COVID-19 vaccine safety review

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) as part of its monitoring of all COVID-19 vaccines deployed in Ghana has concluded that reports about side effects from vaccine recipients are rare and consistent with what is expected from vaccinations.

This follows a Joint COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Review Committee (JCVSRC) meeting to assess safety reports received from the vaccinations in Ghana as well as reports from international sources.

With a mandate of ensuring the safety of COVID-19 vaccine recipients, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) said it will continue a “comprehensive and robust safety monitoring of all COVID-19 vaccines deployed in Ghana.”

As of April 13, 2022, a total of 13,714,484 doses of the five COVID-19 vaccines granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in Ghana, have been administered, a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Delese Darko said.

Here is a breakdown of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Ghana.

Pregnant women and vaccination safety review by the FDA:

Preliminary data among vaccinated pregnant women raised no safety concerns, the FDA noted.

“The JCVSRC also carefully reviewed the preliminary data from the ongoing active monitoring of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (i.e., Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines) in pregnancy across Ghana and concluded that there were no safety concerns.”

The FDA encouraged pregnant women to get their vaccinations because available evidence indicates that the benefits of receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines far outweigh any potential risks.

On January 19, 2022, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), announced that pregnant women could get their COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana.

However, the announcement faced mixed reactions amidst the spread of misinformation that COVID-19 vaccines could cause stillbirths in vaccinated pregnant women.

GhanaFact has debunked the claim with science-based evidence from the World Health Organization, Ghana Health Service and other health experts.

The World Health Organization has cautioned that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be dangerous for both the mother and baby.

By: Gifty Tracy Aminu