Tema ready for coronavirus vaccination - Health Directorate

The Tema West Municipal Health Directorate on Monday said it was ready to vaccinate qualified persons in the first phase of the national vaccination exercise slated for March 2nd to 15th, 2021.

Dr Mercy Owusu-Obrempong, Tema West Municipal Director of Health Services told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Tema that, the Municipality had adequately trained vaccinators and volunteers who would be deployed to undertake the exercise.

She noted that the first group included health workers, frontline security personnel, persons with underlying conditions, persons 60 years and above, and frontline members of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.

Dr Owusu-Obrempong encouraged people to take the vaccine as it was safe and would protect them against the impact of COVID-19.

As part of the broader plan, the Municipality has been segmented into four vaccination centres which would determine the section of the population to be vaccinated at a particular time.

The four segmented areas: Adjei Kojo, Batsona, Halcrow, and Lashibi.

Designated vaccination centres at Adjei Kojo are: the School for Deaf, Suncity Medical Centre, Adjei Kojo Government School, New Crystal Clinic and Kanewu Trotro Station.

The Baatsona centres are: the Baatsona Police Station, Resolve Medical Centre, Collins Dawuda, Kotobabi No.2 School, Municipal Assembly, and Texpo Market.

The designated centres at Halcrow are: the Tema Polyclinic, Italian Flat, GPHA Clinic, Aponkye Clinic, International Maritime Hospital, and Community 3 Dzatabu.

The Lashibi Vaccination Centres are: the Klagon GHPS, Klagon Medical Centre, C&J Diagnostic and Medical Centre, Shalon Spot, Mahogany Street, and Corpus Christi School in Sakumono.

Meanwhile, some residents in Sakumono Estate, a middle-class population in Tema, have expressed hesitance to take the vaccines as they were unsure of its safety.

Therefore, they are calling on the Ghana Health Service and the National Commission for Civic Education to intensify education on the safety of the vaccines.

Last week, Ghana took delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines to be deployed in 43 districts which are epicentres of the pandemic in the country.

The category of persons identified by the National Vaccine Deployment Plan included frontline state officials, essential service providers and other members of state security.

All those who fall in the first and second groups in a segmentation roll-out, are expected to take their first jabs on March 2, 2021 at designated centres across the Municipality.