Coronavirus Vaccine: Let’s trust the government - NGO

Ms Lydia Tsotsoo Odai-Tettey, Country Coordinator, Rescue Volunteers, a Non - Governmental Organisation, has urged Ghanaians to trust the government for the best vaccine in the fight against COVID-19.

She said the government would in no way go in for a vaccine which would destroy Ghanaians, adding that before vaccines went through vigorous forms of tests and consultations before they approved.

She was speaking at the climax of the first phase of Rescue Volunteers’ nationwide COVID-19 awareness campaign at the Art Centre Accra organised by the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Greater Accra under the auspices of the National Commission on Culture (NCC) on Friday.

She said as citizens waited for their turn to take the vaccine they should keep to all the protocols to remain protected from the virus.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency she said the organisation would in the second phase of their campaign focus on sensitisation in schools and campuses to create awareness amongst pupils and students alike.

She said this would help transfer the education to families and communities in the country, “the children can easily educate their peers and also prompt their parents when they overlook the protocols.

She said during the first phase the Volunteers donated 2,100 pieces of nose masks and 250 pocket sized hand sanitizers to traders at the Kpone Market, and at the Dodowa Market 120 bottles of hand sanitizers, 500 nose masks and 100 COVID-19 branded T-shirts were distributed.

“Today we have donated 150 branded T-Shirts, 2,000 pieces of nose mask and 450 bottles of hand sanitizers to assist participants and the traders of the Arts Centre Market keep safe from the virus,” she said.

Ghana would begin its vaccination campaign on March 2 and would be conducted in phases among prioritized groups, beginning with health workers, adults of 60 years and over, people with underlying health conditions, frontline executive, legislature, judiciary, and their related staff.

The country on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 received 600,000 Coveshield AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines delivered by UNICEF, at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport which formed part of the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines that COVAX is sending to low- and middle-income countries.

Ghana is among 92 countries that have signed onto the COVAX programme.