319,257 persons vaccinated against COVID-19 in North East Region – GHS

319,257 persons have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in the North East region of Ghana. This is according to the Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Abdulai Abukari.

In his address at a media briefing in Nalerigu on Friday, April 22, 2022, Dr. Abdulai disclosed that, after the region declared December 2021 as the COVID-19 Vaccination Month and with the mass vaccination exercises held across the region, a lot of people presented themselves to be vaccinated.

He added the region took delivery of 8,500 doses of Astrazeneca, 43,200 doses of

Janssen & Janssen, 13,902 doses of Pfizer and 6,160 doses of Moderna.

“The North East Region has a COVID-19 Vaccination target of 381,701. Currently, as at Monday, April 18, 2022, the region has taken delivery of 402,885 doses of all types of COVID-19 vaccines since March 2021 and vaccinated 319,257 persons. The percentage of all persons who have so far taken at least one dose is 55.8% and 40.7% are persons who have fully completed the Covid vaccination” Dr. Abdulai stated.

He said the Regional Health Directorate is employing several strategies for the

vaccination exercise such as vigorous outreach programmes to get as many people as practicable vaccinated. “So, we are using wide risk communication and also enhancing our education activities at all fronts in every community in all the districts in the region. We will do door-to-door at the community level, market, mosques, churches, bus

terminals”.

The GHS Director stated that the region has sufficient stock of COVID-19 vaccines and needs the input of all especially members of the Public Health Emergency Management Committee, the Media, Traditional leaders, Queen Mothers, Pastors, Imams, the Security Agencies, SHS Heads (GES) to support them in getting the people vaccinated.

Dr. Abdulai Abukari however reminded all and sundry that the COVID-19 Pandemic is not over yet and made a passionate appeal to all community members who have not yet taken the vaccine to get vaccinated since the vaccine is free and protective.

The North East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service revealed that the region since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic 2 year ago recorded a total of 384 cases with 11 deaths. Adding “the last case we recorded in the region was on 2nd February 2022 and currently, the region has no active case on admission anywhere”.