The Director-General of Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has announced the commencement of the 7th edition of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Days campaign exercise.
Similar to previous campaigns, this exercise aims to target individuals aged 18 and above who have not received any COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as those who have received a single jab.
The objective of the campaign is to increase the vaccination rate among eligible individuals, thereby achieving herd immunity and safeguarding against future pandemics in the country.
Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye made these remarks during the joint launch and press briefing of the 7th National COVID-19 Vaccination Days (NaCVaDs) campaign in Accra. The theme for the campaign is "Protect Yourself, Protect Your Family. Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19 Now!"
He assured that trained health workers would be stationed at all facilities, while mobile teams would be deployed to religious centers, schools, and other social venues to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Furthermore, the campaign serves as an opportunity for the GHS to bring itself closer to achieving its vaccination targets and integrate the campaign into its routine immunization program.
Addressing concerns about the pandemic being over, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye clarified that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared the pandemic over. He emphasized the importance of integrating COVID-19 management into existing health delivery systems and maintaining efforts to increase vaccination rates to sustain the progress made in fighting the disease.
Dr. Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, the Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), provided an update on the vaccination rollout in the country. He acknowledged that misinformation about the decline of COVID-19 has contributed to vaccine hesitancy among Ghanaians. However, he highlighted that GHS strategies have been effective in increasing vaccine uptake.
To date, nearly 26 million vaccine doses have been administered in Ghana, with 44% of the population receiving at least one dose and 34% completing the primary vaccination series.
A COVID-19 survivor who received the vaccine, Sani Abdul Jamal, shared his experience, stating that he did not encounter severe complications as falsely described by others. He only experienced dizziness minutes after receiving the jab. He encouraged everyone to participate in the vaccination campaign, emphasizing its safety.
The campaign launch was attended by health workers, security personnel, representatives from WHO, UNICEF, and other stakeholders.
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