Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has visited some COVID-19 vaccination centres in the Ashanti Region to monitor how the exercise is progressing.

The exercise, which is the sixth round of the National Immunisation Day (NID) against the viral disease, started nationwide on December 20 and is expected to end today, Tuesday, December 24.

It formed part of efforts by the GHS to contain the pandemic, which continues to pose a threat to public health by achieving herd immunity through mass vaccination.

The Director General was in the region to motivate the vaccination teams deployed for the exercise and encourage the public to participate for the good of public health in the country.

Addressing the media after visiting some selected centres, Dr Kuma-Aboagye underlined the importance of the exercise to the fight against COVID-19 as a country.

He said vaccinating the population remained the most effective way to halt the transmission of the disease and the protection of individuals from getting seriously sick.

“The disease changes with time but it is not gone, and may never go so, we need to adopt the right practices, so we do not spread it,” Dr Aboagye implored Ghanaians.

He said what was important was for every eligible person to vaccinate fully to ensure the country attained herd immunity and drastically reduce transmission from one person to another.

“It is a very tricky virus, and we continue to learn as new variants come with new characteristics. So, the protocols and most importantly vaccination is crucial,” he stated.

He said the GHS as part of strategies to overcome vaccine hesitancy had created access to the vaccines closer to the people and charged the public to walk to the nearest health facilities and other designated centres to take their jab beyond the vaccination exercise.

He said vaccines being given to Ghanaians were the same as those being administered globally and gave the assurance that they were safe and efficacious.

Dr Aboagye-Kuma applauded health workers who had been at the forefront since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2022 and appealed to Ghanaians especially those yet to receive their dose to make it a priority to avail themselves for the national exercise.