GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia will on Monday receive the first doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines on live television.
The move is intended to encourage Ghanaians to receive shots when the country’s COVID-19 inoculation campaign kicks off on Tuesday, March, 2, 2021.
Ahead of the exercise, the President and his wife, Rebecca will get their jab at the 37th Military Hospital, and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia amd spouse, Samira get theirs at the Police Hospital, all in Accra.
The Ghana Health Service is set to deploy the UN-areanged 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that arrived in the country last Wednesday.
The exercise, which will comstitute the first phase of a national vaccination plan, will see the inoculation of health workers, security service, essential service providers and first line members of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, students as well as media personnel.
The vaccines will be deployed in 43 districts the Greater Accra Metropolitam area, the Kumasi Metroplitan area, Kasoa ninth central region, and Obuasi, all considered the epicentre of the pandemic in Ghana.
In a televised national address on Sunday to give an update on Ghana’s enhanced response to the coronavirus pandemic, President Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians to come out and take the vaccines, saying, “they are safe”
He enjoined Ghanaians not to be taken in by the negative narrative about the coronavirus vaccines, as the jabs remained the only protection against the impact of the pandemic, assuring the inoculation had been duly certified by the FFA and was safe.
“I know there are still some who continue to express doubts about the vaccine, others have expressed reservations about its efficacy, with some taking sides with conspiracy theorists who believe the vaccine has been created to wipe out the African race.
“This is far from the truth. Our domestic regulatory agency, FDA, one of the most reputable in Africa and in the world, has certified the safe use of the vaccine. It will not do so if it had any reservations about the safety of the vaccine,” reiterating that no vaccine will be deployed in the country for use without the express certification of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
“Taking the vaccine will not alter your DNA, it will not embed a tracking device in your body, neither will it cause infertility in women or in men.
“As your President, I want to assure you that the vaccine is safe,” he stated.
Stressing on the importance of the inoculation, President Akufo-Addo said it was being done because the vaccine will help protect against the impact of COVID-19 on citizens health.
“It is also a major catalyst to restoring livelihoods and the national economy to the robust level it belongs,” he noted, encouraging faith-based groups, civil society, media and all Ghanaians to support the public education campaign associated with the exercise.
The President however admonished Ghanaians not to discard the safety protocols on account of the roll out of the vaccination campaign.
“We cannot afford to let our guard down. Let us continue to wash our hands under running water, maintain social distancing, refrain from shaking hands and hugging, and, most importantly, wear our masks,” he said.
The President further reiterated his determination to see Ghana have an indigenous COVID-19 vaccine.
Thus, a Committee, headed by Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, to formulate a concrete plan of action towards vaccine development and manufacturing in Ghana.
Government had set a target to immunize 20 million Ghanaians by the end of the year.
GNA