As the West begins to end COVID restrictions, should Ghana follow suit?

Photo by Stephen E. Anderson

With COVID mask requirements, bans on gatherings, and workplace restrictions coming to an end in the United States and Europe, many countries in the developing world are under pressure from citizens and political leaders to do the same. Yet, a wide gulf exists between these two contexts when it comes to vaccinations.

Lifting restrictions

Ghana, a developing country in West Africa, has chosen to begin lifting restrictions. All developing countries are particularly susceptible to the economic drawbacks of COVID restrictions, and Ghana is no different. Some leaders in sub-Saharan Africa have proven particularly hesitant to even acknowledge the disease as a serious threat due to fears of economic repercussions stemming from COVID restrictions.

In light of the Ghanaian government’s decision to lift restrictions, it is important to note the significant differences between the status of COVID and vaccinations within Ghana and the US/Europe. To date, Ghana has reported 161,000 total infections and 1,445 deaths. On the face of it, these are laudable numbers. Yet, without a doubt, infections are higher given the lack of availability of testing in Ghana, especially during the early stages of the outbreak. Moreover, the developing world at large has had issues with identifying COVID cases in rural and remote areas.

Given the uncertainty regarding the severity of the pandemic in Ghana, the premature easing of restrictions could have dire consequences for population health. Any significant uptick in infections and deaths would require the Ghanaian government to re-introduce COVID restrictions.

Frequent changes to restrictions can have significant consequences on compliance. Indeed, several Western countries have learned a hard lesson — when restrictions and mandates frequently change, conspiracy theories flourish, and citizens can become averse to expert opinion and less trusting of their governments.

Vaccination status

Currently, 29% of the Ghanaian population has received a single dose of any available COVID vaccine. Owing to economic disparities, vaccination rates in Ghana and the developing world in general, have significantly lagged behind those of wealthier states.

In what is often termed “vaccine nationalism,” wealthy countries bought up large numbers of vaccines before they were even produced, limiting vaccine availability for much of the rest of the world. The World Health Organization’s COVAX program was intended to remedy this situation, but the program has been riddled with problems. Meanwhile, 78% of the US population currently has received at least a single dose of the vaccine. Ghana’s comparatively low, though increasing, vaccination rate poses problems for the lifting of restrictions.

While the vaccination rate in the US may allow it to weather any storm presented by future variants, the same cannot be said for Ghana.

Weighing the consequences

Though it may be economically and politically enticing to rid a country of COVID restrictions, leaders must ensure that the transition to normality does not occur at the expense of the lives of citizens. Governments in Ghana and other developing countries may feel that the benefits outweigh the risks, but the health consequences of premature action are dire, and any change in the course through a return to restrictions is particularly grim.