Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Kwame Amponsah–Achiano says the declaration of December as Vaccination Month is to create more awareness amongst the hesitancy group in the population.
He described the hesitancy group as persons who fear to receive COVID-19 vaccines, when explaining the 3 types of persons when it comes to vaccinations. The EPI boss notes there is vaccination hesitancy in every country “and there is the first group which accepts to take the vaccines, the second who are in between and are not sure whilst the third are who are not ready to take it all. This group may have heard conspiracy theories, hence their hesitancy.”
Explaining how one can identify a hesitancy group, the health expert motioned this can be done through direct and indirect means. Undergoing a study is the direct way to identify a hesitancy population, while the indirect process involves a country measuring its capacity to deliver as compared to the population actually presenting themselves for jabs. “If the nation realizes the number of people receiving the jabs have reduced as compared to the number of vaccinated population and the viable population, then you have to assess your awareness programme to increase turn out.”
Dr. Amponsah –Achiano emphasizing on the goal behind the declaration of December as Vaccination Month stated, “Our goal is to create awareness on the need to get vaccinated. It is all about getting the vaccines to the ultimate recipient. I tis awareness creation to heighten the fact that we have the vaccines and are creating demand for all stakeholders.”
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has declared December as Vaccination Month to ensure more Ghanaians are immunised against the COVID-19 infection.
The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, will on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 launch the Special Vaccination Programme.
The group of persons to be vaccinated during the period include all government workers, security personnel, health workers, staff and students at secondary and tertiary education institutions, commercial drivers and their mates, as well as staff of the three Arms of Government.
In an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, he explained this vaccination bracket will captured persons as young as 15 years, “because the Pfizer jab can be given to them.”
The vaccination would be undertaken at lorry parks, markets, churches, mosques and sports stadia, as the public has been urged to cooperate with the vaccinators for a successful exercise.
Ghana had not recorded the new COVID-19 variant called Omicron, which is heavily mutated, but would conduct more genome sequencing to determine whether there were cases in the country.
Data from the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre revealed that 87 per cent of unvaccinated persons are likely to suffer severe or critical ailment from COVID-19 and seven times more likely to die from the virus.
The GHS promises this Christmas to reinforce response mechanisms to the anticipated surge in Covid-19 infections, strengthen contact tracing and follow-ups, as well as improve risk communication and provision of more reagents for testing.
