General News of Saturday, 27 February 2021

Source: 3news.com

Government faulted for Coronavirus vaccine ‘misconception’

There is a growing public apathy towards COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana There is a growing public apathy towards COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana

Former District Chief Executive of Sekyere Afram Plains Fuseini Donkor has ascribed the myths and conspiracy theories surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine to poor public education.

He explained the level of education to get the public’s buy-in has so far not been executed enough, hence the rising misconception and massive public opposition to the Covid-19 immunization.

Ghana received its first tranche of 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine on Wednesday, February 24.

The arrival of the vaccine triggered massive divided public opinion on immunization against the virus.

Although some key public figures and politicians have been engaging the public on various platforms on the need to take the vaccine shots, according to Fuseini Donkor, “the Covid-19 fund would have resourced the NCCE and other agencies to spearhead a consistent public education on the covid vaccine”.

Speaking on Akoma FM‘s weekend political show Wonsom, the former government appointee, who is also a public health expert, told host of the show Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin that “the Covid-19 fund should have dealt with committing resources to various radio stations and the NCCE to engage the public and psych them on the need to immunize against the virus”.

He added that “as it stands most of the people especially those in the hinterlands have little knowledge on the need to take the vaccine shots and those are in the majority so it is empirical on government to up his game and strengthen mandated institutions both private and public to spread the gospel of the vaccine”.