Frontline workers, not politicians, should be the first to take the vaccines - Adusa-Poku

Instead of the plan to have the president and other politicians at the zenith of the political ladder take the first jabs of the coronavirus vaccines in the country, a pharmacist has said that he would rather promote the call for frontline workers to be the first in line.

Richmond Adusa-Poku, CEO of the Garrison Pharmacy, said that with best practices from across the globe to follow in, it is a better decision to have people in the direct line of the fight against the novel coronavirus, be the first ones to take the shots.

This, he maintained, will ensure there is trust and confidence in the process of having others ready themselves to also go for their jabs and reduce doubts.

Ghana received 600,000 doses of the COVAX AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines from India, the first in Africa to receive them and rollout is expected to begin on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, with the president taking the very first shot.

But Richmond Adusa-Poku thinks otherwise. Speaking on Newsfile on the JoyNews channel on Saturday, February 27, 2021, he said he would prefer the process begins with frontline workers.

"I would prefer that heads of COVID-19 treatment centers, take the first jab. You know how we treat politicians and our faith in them. I'm not saying I don't trust the president but people will criticize that they are the first on the run so, I would prefer that the frontline workers - the people who are at the COVID treatment centers, they take the first jabs. I think you clearly see this across the globe.

"When you see doctors at Korle Bu, Komfo Anokye, University of Ghana Medical Center, taking these jabs, who are people who are looking after these COVID-19 patients, it inures to the benefit of the citizenry and politicians, later on, can follow," he explained.