Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Director of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has fired tough questions to three institutions- Ministry of Health (MoH), Ghana Health Service (GHS), and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA)- over the compulsory COVID-19 vaccination directives.
In a letter he wrote to the Directors of these institutions (published), Sammy Gyamfi is demanding to know whether the FDA has approved Sputnik V (Gam-COVID vaccine), the Covisheild, the COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Ad26, COV2.S), the Pfizer-BioNTeeh’s Comirnarty (BNTI62B2), Moderna’s Spikevax, and the Vaxzevira for use in Ghana, in accordance with section 118 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851.)
He also subsequently demanding a certified true copies of all reports and adverse events including fatalities associated with the deployment of each of the 6 COVID-19 vaccines that have been given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Authority as recorded by the manufacturers of these vaccines.
“Certified true copies of all agreements and executed between the Government of Ghana and the manufacturers of the six Emergency Authorized COVID-19 vaccines…,” he stated.
This request, he said, was made pursuant to paragraphs 4.2 (d) and (e)- CONDITIONS OF EUA and paragraph 4.3- SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS FOR AUTHORIZATION, contained in the FDA’s guidelines for Emergency Use Authorization of Medical Products, Document No. FDA/GEN/GL-EUA/2021/04, Version No. 02, first adopted on 15th March 2019 and issued on 5th February 2021.
According to Sammy Gyamfi, his urgent request has become imperative as a result of the new directives of the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Airport Company, which have imposed a mandatory requirement of full COVID-19 vaccination and /compulsory COVID-19 vaccination on all persons traveling into and out of Ghana, including Ghanaian citizens, effective 14th December 2021.
He stressed that as a Ghanaian who desired to travel outside and back into the country in the coming weeks, he required “this essential and critical information to enable him appreciate the safety of the EUA vaccines, particularly so, given the fact that section 21, 22, and 25 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) exempt persons from compulsory vaccination where the vaccines would be injurious to health or they have natural immunity to the disease.”
He also stated however that, “The request is urgent because of the fact that the compulsory covid19 vaccination directives of the GHS and the GAC violate the express recommendations of the FDA that provides that recipients of information on EUA products be given “an opportunity to accept or refuse the EUA product,” as stipulated at page 16 paragraph 4.2 of the guidelines of the Authority on Emergency Use Authorization issues on 5th February 2021.”
According to him, his request for information from the three institutions on the approval status, reported adverse events and conditions of authorization of COVID-19 vaccines in line with the Right to Information Act, will help him appreciate the reasons behind the directives.
