The professional body of pharmacists in the country, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), has warned against the use of alcoholic beverages, such as the locally-produced 'akpeteshie', as sanitizers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The PSGH said in a press release on the coronavirus outbreak that it was collaborating with the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) to make available locally prepared sanitizers in bulk to community pharmacies.

“The PSGH is also engaging and collaborating with small scale pharmaceutical manufacturers to prepare alcohol-based hand sanitizers for supply to community pharmacies,” the association said in the release.

The prices of sanitizers have shot up exponentially since the first two cases of the virus were confirmed in Ghana.

Because it has been recommended that an effective sanitizer must have at least 70% alcohol, many people have turned to the use of the locally-manufactured gin (akpeteshie) – which is said to contain 100% alcohol – to make up for the scarcity of sanitizers.

Read the full release from the PSGH below.