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	<title>COVID-19 Archives - Sweet Melodies FM</title>
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		<title>The first German case against BioNTech relates to potential negative effects of the COVID vaccination.</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/the-first-german-case-against-biontech-relates-to-potential-negative-effects-of-the-covid-vaccination/</link>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:02:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>As the first of possibly hundreds of lawsuits in the nation, BioNTech (22UAy.DE) will appear in court on Monday to defend itself against a claim made by a German lady seeking damages for purported adverse effects of its COVID-19 vaccine. According to the regional court in Hamburg that is hearing the case and law firm [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/the-first-german-case-against-biontech-relates-to-potential-negative-effects-of-the-covid-vaccination/">The first German case against BioNTech relates to potential negative effects of the COVID vaccination.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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<p>As the first of possibly hundreds of lawsuits in the nation, BioNTech (22UAy.DE) will appear in court on Monday to defend itself against a claim made by a German lady seeking damages for purported adverse effects of its COVID-19 vaccine.</p>



<p>According to the regional court in Hamburg that is hearing the case and law firm Rogert &amp; Ulbrich, which is representing her, the woman is suing the German vaccine manufacturer for at least 150,000 euro ($161,500) in damages for bodily harm as well as compensation for unspecified material damage. She is doing this in order to exercise her right under German privacy law not to have her name made public.</p>



<p>The plaintiff claims she suffered upper-body pain, swollen extremities, fatigue and sleeping disorder due to the vaccine.</p>



<p>The first hearing is on Monday.</p>



<p>Tobias Ulbrich, a lawyer at Rogert &amp; Ulbrich, told Reuters he aimed to challenge in court the assessment made by European Union regulators and German vaccine assessment bodies that the BioNTech shot has a positive risk-benefit profile.</p>



<p>German pharmaceutical law states that makers of drugs or vaccines are only liable to pay damages for side-effects if &#8220;medical science&#8221; shows that their products cause disproportionate harm relative to their benefits or if the label information is wrong.</p>



<p>BioNTech, which holds the marketing authorisation in Germany for the shot it developed with Pfizer &lt;PFE.N&gt;, said it concluded after careful consideration that the case was without merit.</p>



<p>&#8220;The positive benefit-risk profile of Comirnaty remains positive and the safety profile has been well characterised,&#8221; the biotech firm said, referring to the vaccine&#8217;s brand name.</p>



<p>It noted about 1.5 billion people had received the shot across the world, including more than 64 million in Germany.</p>



<p>The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says that BioNTech&#8217;s Comirnaty, the most commonly used in the Western world, is safe to use.</p>



<p>In a media briefing last week, the EMA reaffirmed the benefit of all COVID shots it approved, including BioNTech&#8217;s, saying in the first year of the pandemic alone, vaccines were estimated to have helped save almost 20 million lives globally.</p>



<p>It has said there is a very small risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, two types of heart inflammation, following vaccination with Comirnaty, mainly for young males.</p>



<p>Unexpected side-effects after a drug has regulatory approval are rare. The unprecedented speed at which COVID vaccines were developed during the pandemic meant that potential uncommon side-effects may not have been detected as readily as they might have been in traditionally longer trials.</p>



<p>EMA has said that safety monitoring had not been compromised during the fast-track assessment.</p>



<p>The EMA had registered almost 1.7 million spontaneous reports of suspected side-effects by May, which translates into about 0.2 for every 100 administered doses.</p>



<p>Almost 768 million vaccine doses have been administered in the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.</p>



<p>The most common temporary side-effects are headache, fever, fatigue and muscle pain.</p>



<p>The EMA also monitors adverse events or illness after vaccination, and checks for frequencies that surpass normal rates in the non-vaccinated population.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LIABILITY</h2>



<p>It is not clear who would pay the legal costs or compensation if the plaintiff wins the case.</p>



<p>Sources have said some of the EU&#8217;s bulk purchase agreements with vaccine makers, including BioNTech-Pfizer, contained full or partial liability waivers for both legal costs and potential compensation, which could force EU governments to bear some of the costs.</p>



<p>Like many countries, Germany also has a public sector financial support scheme for people who suffer permanent harm from vaccines, known as a no-fault compensation programme, but participation in the programme does not block someone seeking damages separately.</p>



<p>The United States has granted manufacturers immunity from liability for COVID vaccines that receive regulatory approval.</p>



<p>Rogert &amp; Ulbrich says it has filed about 250 cases for clients seeking damages for alleged side-effects of COVID-19 vaccines.</p>



<p>Another law firm, Caesar-Preller, says it is representing 100 cases, with both firms saying separately they cover almost all cases in Germany between them.</p>



<p>A handful of similar cases have been filed in Italy.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/the-first-german-case-against-biontech-relates-to-potential-negative-effects-of-the-covid-vaccination/">The first German case against BioNTech relates to potential negative effects of the COVID vaccination.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>Hospitals in China appear to be getting busier, according to the WHO.</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/hospitals-in-china-appear-to-be-getting-busier-according-to-the-who/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2022 10:21:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Coronavirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=81206</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hospitals in China look to be getting busier as worries about a new Covid-19 epidemic hitting the nation grow. ICUs are busy, according to Dr. Michael Ryan, despite claims from administrators that patient numbers are &#8220;quite low&#8221;. China&#8217;s official statistics indicate that no one passed away from Covid [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/hospitals-in-china-appear-to-be-getting-busier-according-to-the-who/">Hospitals in China appear to be getting busier, according to the WHO.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hospitals in China look to be getting busier as worries about a new Covid-19 epidemic hitting the nation grow.</p>
<p>ICUs are busy, according to Dr. Michael Ryan, despite claims from administrators that patient numbers are &#8220;quite low&#8221;.</p>
<p>China&#8217;s official statistics indicate that no one passed away from Covid on Wednesday, but doubts persist about the disease&#8217;s true toll.</p>
<p>As the latest Covid surge strikes China, hospitals in Beijing and other places have been filling up recently.</p>
<p>As part of its zero Covid strategy, China has set rigorous health regulations since 2020.</p>
<p>However, following historic demonstrations against the tight regulations, the administration halted the majority of those measures two weeks ago.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">The number of cases has since soared, raising fears of a high mortality rate among the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Despite the rise, the official figures show only five people died from Covid on Tuesday and two on Monday.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">It has led to WHO emergencies chief Dr Ryan urging China to provide more information about the latest spread of the virus.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">He said: “In China, what’s been reported is relatively low numbers of cases in ICUs, but anecdotally ICUs are filling up.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">“We’ve been saying this for weeks that this highly infectious virus was always going to be very hard to stop completely, with just public health and social measures.”</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Speaking during a weekly news conference in Geneva WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is “very concerned over the evolving situation in China”.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">He appealed for specific data on disease severity, hospital admissions and intensive care requirements.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Dr Ryan added that “vaccination is the exit strategy” to coronavirus outbreaks.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">China has developed and produced its own vaccines, which have been shown to be less effective at protecting people against serious Covid illness and death than the mRNA vaccines used in much of the rest of the world.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">His <a href="https://3news.com/wpcode_tags/comments/">comments</a> come as the German government announced on Wednesday it had sent its first batch of BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines to China.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">The German vaccines are to be administered initially to expats in China – estimated to be about 20,000.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">It is the first foreign Covid-19 vaccine to be delivered to China, although no details have been released about the time or the size of the delivery.</p>
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<p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Last month during a visit to Beijing, Chancellor Olaf Scholz pressed for the vaccine to be made freely available to Chinese citizens as well.</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/hospitals-in-china-appear-to-be-getting-busier-according-to-the-who/">Hospitals in China appear to be getting busier, according to the WHO.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>COVID-19: Tackling misinformation and hesitancy through vaccination campaign</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-tackling-misinformation-and-hesitancy-through-vaccination-campaign/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:21:57 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=81048</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>For some Ghanaians, walking voluntarily to a COVID-19 vaccination centre may be a waste of time as they need more hours to work and feed their families. The many misconceptions about the vaccine even reduces their willingness to get a jab and over the period some Ghanaian have been compelled to get vaccinated for travelling [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-tackling-misinformation-and-hesitancy-through-vaccination-campaign/">COVID-19: Tackling misinformation and hesitancy through vaccination campaign</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For some Ghanaians, walking voluntarily to a COVID-19 vaccination centre may be a waste of time as they need more hours to work and feed their families.</p>
<p>The many misconceptions about the vaccine even reduces their willingness to get a jab and over the period some Ghanaian have been compelled to get vaccinated for travelling purposes.</p>
<p>While many have lingering concerns about COVID-19 Vaccines, data proves that it is both effective and safe, and health experts say vaccination is now the mainstay of COVID-19 prevention.</p>
<p>Ghana was the first country in the world to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility, and started COVID-19 vaccination on March 1, 2021, for selected members of the public after which it was rolled out to all persons 18 years and above and then later to persons 15 years and above.</p>
<p>The vaccination drive started with a target of vaccinating 20 million people by July 2022, but as of August 10, 2022, about 19.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine mostly AstraZeneca had been administered.</p>
<p>To increase vaccination uptake, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and its partners declared December 2021 as a month of COVID-19 vaccination across the nation for all persons 18 years and above including lactating mothers.</p>
<p>By the end of December 2021, a total of 2.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines were administered, vaccine uptake later dropped to 1.6 million in January 2022.</p>
<p>The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ghana Health Service in efforts to reach more persons with the vaccine launched the 1st National COVI In efforts to reach more persons with the vaccine, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ghana Health Service D-19 Vaccination Campaign Days (NVDs) in February 2022, where 2.5 million doses of vaccines were deployed within five to seven days.</p>
<p>During the National Vaccination Days, vaccines are taken closer to the people in their communities, the campaign makes it possible for vaccinators to go to the market centres, schools, churches, and mosque to administer jabs to the public.</p>
<p>Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, Director General of the GHS, said the second, third and fourth series of the national vaccination campaign days have yielded positive results, moving the total number of doses administered from 13.8 million doses as of the end of April 2022 to 21 million doses at the end of November 2022.</p>
<p>“During the last four NVD campaign series, the dynamics of vaccine distribution and level of vaccination became positively correlated with total vaccine receipts; as vaccine receipt quantities increased, vaccine distribution and level of vaccinations increased commensurately.”</p>
<p>Currently, over 12 million people in Ghana have received at least a dose of the COVID -19 vaccine with over 9 million fully immunized.</p>
<p>The Director General said the end is far from sight since the disease is unpredictable and a larger proportion of the vaccine-eligible population remains unvaccinated.</p>
<p>Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, Programme Manager, Expanded Programme on Immunization, GHS, says National COVID-19 Vaccination Days campaigns has worked as an effective strategy for improving COVID-19 vaccination coverage within a short time</p>
<p>‘The National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns have shown to be an additional key strategy that gets a lot of persons vaccinated within a short time, four of such campaigns have been completed with impressive results,” he said.</p>
<p>He emphasised that COVID-19 vaccines can and do protect most people from hospitalization and death, which is why as many doses need to be administered around the world as rapidly, and equitably, as possible.</p>
<p>Dr Amponsa-Achiano said misinformation, disinformation and pockets of hesitancy have been a major challenge in getting more persons vaccinated especially in the Southern parts of the country.</p>
<p>To tackle misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, he said the GHS deploys health promotion officers to all districts across the country to engage eligible persons on the efficiency and safety of the vaccine three days ahead of the campaign.</p>
<p>Article 25 on the UN Convention on Human Rights states that; “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services……., hence, the right on every Ghanaian to receive adequate information on the safety of the vaccine to allow them to take a bold decision to get vaccinated.</p>
<p>Dr Francis Kasolo, the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Ghana said the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on healthcare systems and economies globally and Ghana needs to strengthen its transmission initiatives through vaccination.</p>
<p>“Ghana has fully vaccinated about 30 per cent of the population, although global vaccine supply has improved addressing issues of vaccine equity still persist and attaining 70 per cent coverage of the population in Ghana is no mean task and requires concerted efforts among stakeholders,” he said.</p>
<p>Dr Kasolo urged the media to use its platform to channel out accurate information to address myths and misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccination.</p>
<p>“It is the primary responsibility of health workers to educate themselves and discuss the need for a vaccine with patient, build trust with the patient and your peers and motivate them to accept the vaccine,” he said.</p>
<p>He stressed the need for the government and stakeholders to use all available resources to address the risk factors of vaccine hesitancy.</p>
<p>The WHO rep said Ghana needs to actively engage and provide resources to community organizations to create awareness about the safety of the vaccine within their communities and encourage citizens to receive the vaccine in confidence.</p>
<p>“These interventions need to be adequately resourced and evaluated at the first step towards closing the gap in achieving broader vaccination for older children and adults,” he said.</p>
<p>Dr Kasolo said as Ghana considers transitioning COVID -19 vaccination from campaigns to routine vaccination, closing the coverage gap due to hesitancy will make the transition more impactful.</p>
<p>Ghana has since March 2021, received over 34 million doses of varied COVID-19 vaccines, of which 30 million doses have been distributed.</p>
<p>As of December 4, 2022, over 21 million doses have been administered, and about 9 million persons have been fully vaccinated with about 12 million persons, receiving at least a first dose.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-tackling-misinformation-and-hesitancy-through-vaccination-campaign/">COVID-19: Tackling misinformation and hesitancy through vaccination campaign</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>COVID-19: Inspiring medical innovations in Ghana</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-inspiring-medical-innovations-in-ghana/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:20:00 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=81045</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In February 2021, almost a year after Ghana recorded its first cases of the Coronavirus pandemic, some hospitals begun to report lack of adequate ventilators and a shortage of oxygen to attend to patients. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge, for instance was reported to have run out of [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-inspiring-medical-innovations-in-ghana/">COVID-19: Inspiring medical innovations in Ghana</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In February 2021, almost a year after Ghana recorded its first cases of the Coronavirus pandemic, some hospitals begun to report lack of adequate ventilators and a shortage of oxygen to attend to patients.</p>
<p>The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge, for instance was reported to have run out of oxygen and called on donors to provide them with ventilators.</p>
<p>This was a result of the increasing number of critical care and severe cases of COVID-19 reporting at the Facility.</p>
<p>Dr Emmanuel Ahiable, the COVID-19 Case Management Lead at the Hospital, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an Interview as part of the Journalists for Human Rights Project on “Mobilizing the Media in Fighting COVID-19” that critical care beds at the ICU was occupied since January 08, 2021, with high demand for oxygen.</p>
<p>Consequently, the ICU was said to be in urgent need of higher volumes of oxygen as each patient at the ICU required 15 liters of oxygen per minute, with patients staying on oxygen for at least two weeks.</p>
<p>Dr Ahiable said the situation was alarming in the beginning of 2021 because most cases referred to the facility were in critical condition.</p>
<p>He said after January 8, the unit expanded its eight-bed facility to 16, as it received more referrals from across the Greater Accra Region.</p>
<p>He said 20 out of the number recovered and discharged at the time were made up of 11 males, six females and a five-year-old boy died while 13 are still on admission.</p>
<p>Dr Ahiable said the spike in severe cases was worrying because more pregnant women were being brought to the ICU in critical conditions.</p>
<p>“Last month alone, we recorded seven cases involving pregnant women, one of them died hereafter delivering a 32 week old baby by herself,” he said.</p>
<p>Dr Ahiable said the Unit, therefore, urgently needed ventilators (Halminton C1) because patients who needed high volumes of oxygen recovered quickly on ventilators.</p>
<p>He noted that the Unit was also running out of COVID-19 test kits with more people walking in to get tested.</p>
<p>Dr Ahiable, therefore, appealed to government and private institutions to support the Facility in the fight against the pandemic by donating ventilators and oxygen to the unit.</p>
<p>A ventilator is a device that supports or recreates the process of breathing by pumping air into the lungs.</p>
<p>Sometimes, people refer to it as a vent or breathing machine.</p>
<p>Doctors use ventilators when a person cannot breathe adequately on their own because they are undergoing general anesthesia or have an illness that affects their breathing.</p>
<p>There are different types of ventilators, and each provides varying levels of support, the type a doctor uses will depend on a person’s condition.</p>
<p>Ventilators play an important role in saving lives, in both hospitals and ambulances.</p>
<p>At a medical fair held in Accra on December 5, 2022, the Academic City University College supported by iSTEAM Academy Limited and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, announced the development of a local ventilator in Ghana.</p>
<p>The development of the ventilator was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.</p>
<p>The fair was on the theme: “Building Local Capacity in Medical Technology,” and provided a platform for the exhibition of products and services offered by the healthcare industry while highlighting Ghana’s innovation in medical technology.</p>
<p>Prof. Fred McBagonluri, Founding President of Academic City University College and Co-Founder of iSTEAM, said ventilators became an essential commodity when the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world.</p>
<p>“Ventilators became an essential commodity that saved many lives. Unfortunately, Ghana did not have enough of these lifesavers because, while some were available, they were prohibitively expensive,” he said.</p>
<p>Prof McBagonluri said the situation necessitated him to collaborate with GIZ and to secure funding to develop a low-cost ventilator in Ghana.</p>
<p>“The plan was for Ghana and Africa to develop their own version of low-cost ventilators tailored to its terrain, using off-the-shelf and locally available material under a project dubbed Locovent4Africa,” he said.</p>
<p>The project, he said, aims to develop, manufacture, and distribute low-cost ventilators using locally available and off-the-shelf materials in developing countries to assist healthcare professionals in treating patients suffering from acute respiratory diseases because of COVID-19 as well as other respiratory infections.</p>
<p>Prof McBagonluri said iSTEAM, an innovative STEAM-based education enterprise undertook the task to establish local production capabilities for the low-cost, locally adaptive, and non-invasive medical ventilator to serve, treat and save patients’ lives.</p>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic despite its effects on the global economy and health system has ignited the need to produce local medical devices in Africa for Africa and Ghana is leading the way.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-inspiring-medical-innovations-in-ghana/">COVID-19: Inspiring medical innovations in Ghana</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>COVID-19: Three institutions partner to produce ventilator</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-three-institutions-partner-to-produce-ventilator/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2022 09:43:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Coronavirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ghana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=80940</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The Academic City University College on Monday held a medical technology fair to provide updates to stakeholders on the progress of a local ventilator developed by the school. The development of the ventilator is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. The fair, which was attended by medical device manufacturers, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-three-institutions-partner-to-produce-ventilator/">COVID-19: Three institutions partner to produce ventilator</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Academic City University College on Monday held a medical technology fair to provide updates to stakeholders on the progress of a local ventilator developed by the school.</p>
<p>The development of the ventilator is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.</p>
<p>The fair, which was attended by medical device manufacturers, researchers, academia, students, health practitioners, policymakers, health service providers, regulators, and vendors was supported by iSTEAM Academy Limited and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH</p>
<p>It was on the theme &#8220;Building Local Capacity in Medical Technology,” and provided a platform for the exhibition of products and services offered by the healthcare industry while highlighting Ghana&#8217;s innovation in medical technology.</p>
<p>Prof. Fred McBagonluri, Founding President of Academic City University College and Co-Founder of iSTEAM, said ventilators became an essential commodity when the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world.</p>
<p>“Ventilators became an essential commodity that saved many lives. Unfortunately, Ghana did not have enough of these lifesavers because, while some were available, they were prohibitively expensive,” he said.</p>
<p>Prof McBagonluri said the situation necessitated him to collaborate with GIZ and to secure funding to develop a low-cost ventilator in Ghana.</p>
<p>“The plan was for Ghana and Africa to develop their own version of low-cost ventilators tailored to its terrain, using off-the-shelf and locally available material under a project dubbed Locovent4Africa,” he said.</p>
<p>The project, he said, aims to develop, manufacture, and distribute low-cost ventilators using locally available and off-the-shelf materials in developing countries to assist healthcare professionals in treating patients suffering from acute respiratory diseases because of COVID-19, as well as other respiratory infections.</p>
<p>Prof McBagonluri said iSTEAM, an innovative STEAM-based education enterprise undertook the task to establish local production capabilities for the low-cost, locally adaptive, and non-invasive medical ventilator to serve, treat and save patients&#8217; lives.</p>
<p>Stakeholders who attended the fair stressed the need to scale up local inventions to meet the healthcare needs of the public.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-three-institutions-partner-to-produce-ventilator/">COVID-19: Three institutions partner to produce ventilator</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>Western Region health authorities targets 18,000 unvaccinated Covid-19 persons</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/western-region-health-authorities-targets-18000-unvaccinated-covid-19-persons/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2022 16:12:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Coronavirus]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=80910</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The Western Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service is targeting more than 20 per cent of the unvaccinated persons under the routine vaccination exercise slated between November 30 and December 5.  The Region currently has over nine million unvaccinated individuals and the Service hopes to vaccinate at least 18,000 out of the number to [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/western-region-health-authorities-targets-18000-unvaccinated-covid-19-persons/">Western Region health authorities targets 18,000 unvaccinated Covid-19 persons</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">The Western Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service is targeting more than 20 per cent of the unvaccinated persons under the routine vaccination exercise slated between November 30 and December 5.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">The Region currently has over nine million unvaccinated individuals and the Service hopes to vaccinate at least 18,000 out of the number to achieve some milestone in the fight against the deadly virus.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> Dr Gifty Amugi, the Deputy Director of Public Health, told stakeholders during a meeting that getting a herd immunity as the yuletide approached had become a matter of concern and stakeholders needed to fully participate in the campaign to ensure that the target was achieved. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">The Vaccination exercise is being organised with support from the USAID/JSI VAX project.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Dr Amugi said since April 2020, various interventions made by the region had resulted in minimal death toll from the COVID-19, adding out of 8,807 cases recorded, 8,732 of them recovered.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">The Region has fully vaccinated 497,491 (30.6%) of people with 720,023 (44.3%) receiving only one dose.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">The Reverend Father Gabriel Sampson, of the Anglican Church in Sekondi assured the Directorate of massive campaign among the churches under his jurisdiction to fully participate. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Similar pledges of support were given by the media, Population Council, Red Cross, market women and the NCCE. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/western-region-health-authorities-targets-18000-unvaccinated-covid-19-persons/">Western Region health authorities targets 18,000 unvaccinated Covid-19 persons</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>USAID trains stakeholders to be COVID-19 vaccine myth busters</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/usaid-trains-stakeholders-to-be-covid-19-vaccine-myth-busters/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2022 13:46:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coronavirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COVID-19 pandemic]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=80527</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>As part of efforts to tackle hesitancy and demystify perception about COVID-19 vaccines, a training workshop has been held for key stakeholders to become “myth busters” in the Western Region.  The workshop, organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Care Continuum Project, was to encourage more people to get vaccinated [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/usaid-trains-stakeholders-to-be-covid-19-vaccine-myth-busters/">USAID trains stakeholders to be COVID-19 vaccine myth busters</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">As part of efforts to tackle hesitancy and demystify perception about COVID-19 vaccines, a training workshop has been held for key stakeholders to become “myth busters” in the Western Region.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">The workshop, organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Care Continuum Project, was to encourage more people to get vaccinated as a safeguard against the COVID-19.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">It was held in collaboration with JSI Research and Training Institute, the Ghana Health Service, through the Global VAX project to enhance the vaccination efforts.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Influential community members including leaders of youth groups, faith-based institutions, teachers, traditional authorities and artisans were selected for the training and equipped with skills to debunk misinformation and disinformation on the COVID-19 vaccines.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">They are to mobilise people, aged 15 years and above, pregnant women, people living with HIV, people with disability, and migrant population, among others, to access COVID-19 vaccines in the Western, Western-North and Ahafo regions and accelerate the delivery of more than three million COVID-19 vaccinations in these regions.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Mr Richard Adupong, the Communication Advisor of USAID Care Continuum Projects JSI, said Ghana was at a significant turning point in its vaccination campaign with vaccine availability significantly ramping up with roughly 13.5 million vaccine doses received between December 2021 and early February 2022.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">He said as of February 18, 2022 Ghana had received more than 27.4 million COVID-19 vaccines with 19.3 million doses deployed.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Information on COVID-19 vaccination safety from the Ghana Health Service and the World Health Organisation revealed that the vaccines were safe, free and accessible throughout the country, he said.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Mr Daniel Bomfeh, the Western Regional Health Promotional Officer, who gave an update on the COVID-19 in the region, said it had recorded 8,785 positive cases from April 2020 to date with 8,702 cases discharged and 75 deaths as of October 2020.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Active cases are now eight in four districts; Tarkwa, Ellembelle, Wassa-East, and Amenfi-East.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Mr Bomfeh said the cases had reduced, but the disease was still</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">prevalent, hence the health immunity campaign to get more people vaccinated.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">He said only 30.6 per cent of the population in the region had been vaccinated and advised the people to continue to adhere to the COVID-19 preventive protocols.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">Mr Bomfeh said the training would equip stakeholders with skills to handle rumours, risk communication, and advocacy to convince the populace to go for the vaccine.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;">He charged the COVID-19 Myth Busters to ensure that effective risk communication resulted in effective response to public health disease outbreak.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma',sans-serif;"> </span></span></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/usaid-trains-stakeholders-to-be-covid-19-vaccine-myth-busters/">USAID trains stakeholders to be COVID-19 vaccine myth busters</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>We’re yet to recover from COVID-19 impacts &#8211; Aflao SMEs</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/were-yet-to-recover-from-covid-19-impacts-aflao-smes/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:50:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Coronavirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=79777</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Owners of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) at Aflao in the Ketu South district say they are still suffering the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. They said the COVID-19-induced restrictions, especially the closure of the border for two years, had affected the municipality and in particular, Aflao, home to Ghana’s busiest land border, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/were-yet-to-recover-from-covid-19-impacts-aflao-smes/">We’re yet to recover from COVID-19 impacts &#8211; Aflao SMEs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Owners of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) at Aflao in the Ketu South district say they are still suffering the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.</p>
<p>They said the COVID-19-induced restrictions, especially the closure of the border for two years, had affected the municipality and in particular, Aflao, home to Ghana’s busiest land border, leading to the collapse of their businesses.</p>
<p>This came to light at a town hall meeting organised at Aflao by a civic organisation, BudgIT Ghana in partnership with OXLADE Consulting and Open Foundations Society on the OSIWA Project.</p>
<p>The OSIWA project is aimed to assess post economic resilience of small-scale businesses in the country to have accurate information to aid in the recovery of these businesses.</p>
<p>The town hall meeting was on the theme: “Pre and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Socio-Economic Resilience Strategies: Impact and Lessons from Stakeholders.”</p>
<p>Attendees shared their experiences during the Covid-19 period, and thereafter, with major emphasis on the adaptation and coping strategies of their businesses, employment and working conditions, impacts on wages and incomes, food consumption, borrowings and asset holdings, and the level of government support.</p>
<p>Participants, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency, said their day-to-day economic activities halted due to the trade restrictions and confinement measures announced by the government and with no form of support to cushion them from the economic hardship.</p>
<p>Mama Hedenya Xenyo II, Queen of Aflao Aflagatigorme, said the economic impact on her subjects and some colleague traditional leaders during the peak of COVID-19 was huge and it would be good for some support to be extended to them because “even now, we’re yet to fully recover from it.”</p>
<p>“We thank our Chief, Torgbui Aglasu Xenyo III because, at a time when it became difficult for my electorates to feed, he gave out money for items, including bags of maize, rice and gallons of cooking oil.</p>
<p>No support came from the local Assembly or the central government to us, not even the free water because for a long time, we’ve not had water,” Alhaji Mohammed Amuzu, Assembly member for Aflagatigorme Electoral Area said.</p>
<p>Madam Lebene Dzumador, a shopkeeper, said: “We’re still feeling the heat and now that this organisation has come to hear our concerns, it’s my hope that something positive will happen.”</p>
<p>Mr Khiddir Iddris, Research and Programme Lead at BudgIT Ghana said his organisation and stakeholders’ role in boosting health sector accountability and vaccine equity in Ghana.</p>
<p>He said the government, like others globally, continued to play a crucial role in cushioning people and firms from the pandemic and its economic fallout.</p>
<p>“It’s important that we assess the relief packages that the government has provided so far as well as socio-economic resilience of businesses, especially from this border town,” Mr Iddris said.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/were-yet-to-recover-from-covid-19-impacts-aflao-smes/">We’re yet to recover from COVID-19 impacts &#8211; Aflao SMEs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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		<title>&#8220;COVID-19 is nearing its conclusion,&#8221; Boss WHO</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-is-nearing-its-conclusion-boss-who/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2022 10:35:09 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=79589</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 epidemic is close to coming to an end. The pandemic is progressively dying down, according to Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, as a result of a decline in the number of fatalities worldwide. However, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed that more needs to be [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/covid-19-is-nearing-its-conclusion-boss-who/">&#8220;COVID-19 is nearing its conclusion,&#8221; Boss WHO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 epidemic is close to coming to an end.</p>
<p>The pandemic is progressively dying down, according to Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, as a result of a decline in the number of fatalities worldwide.</p>
<p>However, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed that more needs to be done to completely eradicate COVID-19 while speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are now in a stronger position than ever to stop the pandemic. We have not yet arrived. But the end is close by,&#8221; he said.</p>
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<li><a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/pharmacists-to-stock-supply-antigen-tests-for-covid-19/">Pharmacists to stock, supply antigen tests for COVID-19</a></li>
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</ul>
<p>He urged countries to keep up their efforts against the virus that has killed over six million people.</p>
<aside class="_3qLh5 _sBMB _1ilWc cj-aC" data-component="RelatedCard" data-uri="coremedia://article/101442602">
<div class="_8ozWK" data-component="CardBox">“Last week, the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 was the lowest since March 2020″, said Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus.</div>
</aside>
<p> Globally, 10,935 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in the week of September 5 to 11, according to WHO’s latest report.</p>
<p>That’s a decrease of more than 20 percent compared to the week before.</p>
<p>In that same period, the WHO reported 407 new deaths in Australia.</p>
<p>As of September 11, more than 6.4 million Covid-19 deaths had been reported globally since the pandemic began.</p>
<p>Australia has recorded 14,421 Covid-19 deaths, according to the last federal government update from September 9.</p>
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		<title>Pharmacists to stock, supply antigen tests for COVID-19</title>
		<link>https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/pharmacists-to-stock-supply-antigen-tests-for-covid-19/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2022 16:16:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/?p=79414</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Mr Samuel Kow Donkoh, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSG) has announced that the Society is in final stages of receiving approval from government to stock and supply antigen tests for COVID-19. He said the PSG had already received grant of GHc315,000.00 from the global fund for implementation of the COVID-19 testing in [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/pharmacists-to-stock-supply-antigen-tests-for-covid-19/">Pharmacists to stock, supply antigen tests for COVID-19</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mr Samuel Kow Donkoh, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSG) has announced that the Society is in final stages of receiving approval from government to stock and supply antigen tests for COVID-19.</p>
<p>He said the PSG had already received grant of GHc315,000.00 from the global fund for implementation of the COVID-19 testing in community pharmacies across the country.</p>
<p>Mr Donkoh said this at the opening of the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Society in Tamale to review its performance over the past year and discuss issues that would strengthen the role of medicines in the country’s development.</p>
<p>The week-long event, which would end on September 4, is on the theme: “Optimising the Pharmaceutical Workforce in a Rapidly Evolving World”.</p>
<p>He led the new pharmacists to take the Membership Oath as he swore them into the Society.</p>
<p>It was attended by Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, the Northern Regional Minister, who represented President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Nanton-Naa Mahamudu Bawa V, who represented Ya-Na Abukari II, and pharmacists across the country.</p>
<p>The Northern Regional Minister, joined by the other dignitaries, cut the sod for the construction of the PSG’s pharmacy centre.</p>
<p>Mr Donkoh appealed to the Ministry of Health to expedite action on the approval of pharmacists to administer vaccines at community pharmacies in the country.</p>
<p>“Pharmacists training has been enhanced to the health care demands of our time and it will be a great loss to the nation if their total potentials are not harnessed to the benefit of patients and the health system,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Mr Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, said the Ministry was working to ensure that community pharmacists were involved in activities of COVID-19 antigen testing and vaccinations.</p>
<p>The Ministry would collaborate with the PSG to expand the scope of pharmaceutical practices for the health and wellbeing of the population, he said.</p>
<p>Madam Mansa Nettey, the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank, who was the main speaker, said young pharmacists were top-notch talents capable of driving the next phase of the profession.</p>
<p>She appealed to relevant pharmaceutical bodies to ensure that no pharmacist was paid below the recommended minimum remuneration provided by the PSG.</p>
<p>She said pharmaceutical training must be leveraged on research, innovation and new models to ensure the industry met the world class standards, while calling on pharmacists to serve with pride to positively affect lives and save humanity.</p>
<p>Ya-Na Abukari II, Overlord of Dagbon, in a speech read on his behalf, said self-medication was on the increase due to media advertisements with claims of endorsement by the Food and Drugs Authority.</p>
<p>He advised the pharmacists to promote positive health behaviours coupled with drug prescription instructions to improve the health of citizens to reduce loss of manpower.</p>
<p>He appealed for support for local pharmaceutical companies to enable them to expand their businesses to reduce the cost of health care and provide employment for more people.</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com/pharmacists-to-stock-supply-antigen-tests-for-covid-19/">Pharmacists to stock, supply antigen tests for COVID-19</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.sweetmelodiesfm.com">Sweet Melodies FM</a>.</p>
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