Coronavirus vaccine education 'must start now' - GMA to government

The Ghana Medical Association, GMA, has tasked government to build confidence of the citizenry relative to COVID-19 vaccination.

GMA president Dr. Frank Ankobea, stressed that education needed to be started immediately to ease deployment when Ghana receives doses. He was speaking on Accra-based Citi FM.

“As a country, we tend to wait for things to get out of hand before we take responsibility. The vaccine education must start now.

“I know people are skeptical but we the scientists know that the vaccines are safe and that is probably what will help us in the long term. We need to start vaccine education right away. Some of us will be ready to take the vaccines to set the pace.”

He explained further why education should precede the deployment of the vaccines. “We should not wait for the vaccines to come in before we start the education. We must begin now, otherwise, we will receive the vaccines alright, but people will not go in for them.

“We will only achieve herd immunity when we vaccinate at least 70% of our adult population. We are not going to get the vaccines as quickly as is projected. They are expensive. But for now, we need to channel our energies to renewing the minds of the masses.”

Late last year, president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo disclosed that Ghana will access approved vaccines as and when they are available. “Government will ensure that the Covid-19 vaccines to be deployed in the country are effective and are safe.”

The Ghana Health Service, GHS, has said the vaccine will be available by the end of the first quarter of 2021 adding that procurement processes had already commenced. One of Ghana's procurement channels is via the WHO’s COVAX facility.

Ghana’s Covid-19 cases as at 07 January 2021

Visit https://t.co/IW9gCmy3wm for the details pic.twitter.com/5udMe093rY

— Disease Surveillance Dept_GHS (@DSD_GHS) January 11, 2021