Ghana begins mass vaccination program against COVID-19

By Xinhua Published: Mar 03, 2021 11:08 AM

A nurse administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a man at a hospital in Accra, Ghana, on March 2, 2021. The government of Ghana Tuesday rolled out a program to commence the mass vaccination of people living in some 43 epicenter-districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central regions against the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Xinhua)

A nurse prepares to administer the COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Accra, Ghana, on March 2, 2021. The government of Ghana Tuesday rolled out a program to commence the mass vaccination of people living in some 43 epicenter-districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central regions against the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Xinhua)

A man shows his COVID-19 vaccination card after receiving the injection at a hospital in Accra, Ghana, on March 2, 2021. The government of Ghana Tuesday rolled out a program to commence the mass vaccination of people living in some 43 epicenter-districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central regions against the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Xinhua)

The government of Ghana Tuesday rolled out a program to commence the mass vaccination of people living in some 43 epicenter-districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central regions against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among eligible persons for the vaccination program includes healthcare workers, frontline security personnel, persons with underlying medical conditions, persons 60 years and above, and frontline members of the executive, legislature, and judiciary.

The Greater Accra regional health directorate ahead of the exercise had set up a total of 325 vaccination sites within the 25 epicenter-districts for eligible persons for phase one of the exercise to visit for their immunization.

The Greater Accra Regional Director for Health Services Charity Sarpong told Xinhua in an interview her outfit had put in place a number of measures to contain any problem that may occur during the vaccination exercise.

"Currently for Greater Accra region, 25 of our districts have been declared as epicenters and are all taking part in the first phase and then across the region we have set up about 325 vaccination sites where people can visit; that is eligible people for the first phase can visit and will be vaccinated," Sarpong said.

"We also have put in place all the necessary plans to support any adverse effects that may occur but then as health providers, we have also put in place all the necessary provisions to ensure that we take care of them," she added.

The regional health director assured the public the vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective and urged all to embrace them to defeat the pandemic.

A retired public servant Alex Sarbah who was vaccinated on the first day of the exercise at the Adabraka polyclinic told Xinhua he has long been waiting for such an opportunity.

"I was ready for it, there is nothing to fear. We have all along been waiting for this opportunity and now that it has come, and I decided to take advantage of it. I didn't want to wait a day and before you realize the vaccines are finished so I decided to take it on the first day to make sure I get vaccinated." he said.

An information health officer with the Greater Accra regional health directorate Bright Obeng Amoako explained he did not entertain any fear once the vaccine had been approved by the relevant state authorities. "There is nothing bad that went through my mind because it's a vaccine and we need to take. This is something that is approved by the Ghana Health Service and the Food and Drugs Authority. I felt normal to take this vaccine."

Ghana became the first country to take delivery of some 600,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility last week.

The country's Food and Drugs Authority has so far declared the AstraZeneca and Sputnik vaccines as safe-for-use in the fight against the virus.