Church of Pentecost not against coronavirus vaccines – Chairman

The Church of Pentecost has indicated that it is not against the administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

This comes after widespread myths and conspiracy theories over the efficacy of the vaccines, especially on social media.

The church noted that “there are clear theological, social, scientific, medical, legal, and economic implications for the general misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating in the mass media (mostly on social media), which pose a threat to fighting the pandemic.”

Ghana is expected to vaccinate an initial 20 million Ghanaians in the coming months starting with health workers, persons with underlying health conditions, persons above 60 years, security personnel among others.

A statement signed by the chairman of the Church Apostle Eric Nyamekye noted “Upon further deliberations on the committee’s work, and extensive consultations with ministers and other experts, it is obvious the conspiracy theories cannot be substantiated and are not sustainable. It is, therefore, the view and position of the Executive Council that The Church of Pentecost is not against the administration of COVID-19 vaccines duly approved by the regulatory agencies of the various countries.”

The statement however indicated that: “This position does not take the right of individual members to either accept or refuse a vaccine based on their own personal reasons. Ministers, officers and members of the Church are therefore discouraged from using the platforms of the Church to fuel and promote myths, controversies and falsehood to misinform people and members on the usefulness and benefit of COVID-19 vaccines.”

It added: “because social media is saturated with fake news, the Church public is advised to avoid depending mainly on social media for information without checking from reliable sources.”