Vaccination begins in Accra with a call on the public to get involved

The nation-wide COVID-19 vaccination exercise has commenced as a category of persons took the first jabs in Greater Accra Region on Tuesday.

Front line health workers, adults aged 60 years and above, people with underlining health conditions such as diabetes, kidney diseases, hypertension, cancer, frontline security personnel, frontline government officials, the Media and all frontline workers in the formal sector are in the first group of people for the mass vaccination

Mrs. Charity Sarpong, Greater Accra Regional Health Director, who launched the Greater Accra vaccination programme, said the exercise would address the region’s biggest challenge of how to break and slow down the transmission of the virus in the Region.

She said the region had a lot of difficulties in enforcing the COVID-19 safety protocols although over 50 per cent of the COVID-19 infections had been recorded in Accra. Presently, the Greater Accra region has recorded a total of 47, 468 cases with 2, 719 active cases.

“With the vaccination, we are going to see a decrease in the transmission of cases, a reduction in severe cases and the number of people who require hospitalization as well as COVID-19 related deaths,” Mrs Sarpong said.

The Regional Health Director said the Greater Accra region had 25 Epi centres with a total of 325 vaccination sites to prevent overcrowding and ensure easy vaccination access.

Mrs Sarpong said persons who had tested positive to the coronavirus must wait to recover before taking their first jab.

She encouraged all who qualified in the first target group to visit the nearest vaccination centre and get vaccinated.

Dr Patrick Kuma -Aboagye, Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), stressed the need for all to get involved in the vaccination exercise as the vaccine transformed the body to fight the virus.

Mr Charles Abani, United Nations Resident Coordinator, said since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Government of Ghana had been at the fore front working hard to protect the public.

He lauded the President’s ambition to ensure the development and manufacturing of vaccine in Ghana saying, “this is a strong path for building Ghana’s self-reliance and will enable Ghana to achieve the Ghana beyond Aid agenda.

He commended the front line health workers for working tirelessly to save lives in “these trying times.”

Mr Abani called on the public to keep observing the coronavirus prevention protocols even after taking the vaccine saying, “no one is safe until we are all vaccinated”.

The Chief of Staff, Mrs Frema Opare, the Presidential Advisor on health, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, Members of the Council of State and other dignitaries are at the launch of the vaccination at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital to get vaccinated.

The act is to assure the public that the vaccines were safe and everyone needs to be vaccinated.