Health workers to be among the first to receive Coronavirus Vaccine – Dr. Okoe-Boye

Immediate-past Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye has revealed that frontline health workers will be among the first group of persons to receive coronavirus vaccination in Ghana.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his speech at this year’s annual New Year School on Tuesday stated that the government has concluded a technical committee discussion on the vaccine and was waiting for action.

Speaking on News File show on Saturday monitored by Kasapafmonline.com, Dr. Oko Boye said the Ghana government has applied to the COVAX platform to access the vaccine which is expected to arrive in the country by the first quarter of this year.

“We’ve applied to that platform and they will start disbursement in the first quarter to country’s that have applied but we are also exploring the bilateral route. The Minister-designate for Health is talking to some of the manufacturing companies. Ghana is looking at buying some directly also. As we speak there’s a technical committee to look at the criteria for the roll-out, who gets first. What is absolute is that health workers are very high on the list and then the security services because of their mixing with populations outside the country on operations. I also know that elderly people who can prove underlying health condition like heart disease, kidney disease and people with high turnover rate.”

Ghana has recorded three more Coronavirus deaths pushing the country’s total number of fatalities from 358 to 361.

As of Friday, 22nd January 2021, data on the Ghana Health Service’s website show that 658 new cases have been recorded sending the total number of active cases to 2,413.

The total number of confirmed cases has increased to 59,480 with some 56,706 patients recovered and discharged.