There are commercial reasons behind AstraZeneca’s decision to withdraw the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

The company that produces the AstraZeneca vaccines, which were used at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has announced that it has begun a global vaccine withdrawal.

The multinational pharmaceutical company admitted to the existence of a rare side effect called Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).

This disorder can cause symptoms like one-sided body numbness, chest pain, or unilateral leg pain and swelling. It is characterized by the formation of blood clots that block veins or arteries.

Heart attacks and strokes are among the potentially fatal thrombosis complications.

The company stated that the availability of more recent vaccines after the pandemic was the reason for the withdrawal.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday during a tour of the Ga East Municipality in Accra as part of the COVID-19 Vaccination and Child Health Promotion Week/African Vaccination Week Campaign, Ghana Health Service Director-General Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye explained that the manufacturer’s withdrawal was motivated by competition rather than potential health risks.

“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 stated.