Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Kwame Amponsah–Achiano, has intimated that the announcement by the Health Minister declaring the month of December as Vaccination Month, is to create more awareness on the need to vaccinate.
Speaking on the vaccination programme, he averred that the move by the Health Ministry is mainly to create awareness amongst, especially the hesitancy group in the population. He described the hesitancy group as persons who fear to receive COVID-19 vaccines.
“Our goal is to create awareness on the need to get vaccinated. It is all about getting the vaccines to the ultimate recipient. It is awareness creation to heighten the fact that we have the vaccines and are creating demand for all stakeholders”.
Dr. Kwame Amponsah–Achiano
Dr. Amponsah-Achiano noted that there is vaccination hesitancy in every country and Ghana has set the month of December to stop that hesitancy.
Explaining the types of persons when it comes to taking vaccinations, he said, “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”.
Touching on how one can identify a hesitancy group, the health expert noted that this can be done through direct and indirect means. Undergoing a study, he stated, 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. Kwame Amponsah–Achiano
Special Vaccination Programme
Dr. Amponsah –Achiano’s explanations follow the Ghana Health Service (GHS) declaring December as Vaccination Month to ensure more Ghanaians are immunized against the COVID-19 infection. The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, will today, Tuesday, November 30, 2021 launch the Special Vaccination Programme.
The group of persons to be vaccinated during the period will 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.
The GHS indicated that the vaccination bracket will capture persons as young as 15 years because the Pfizer jab can be given to them. The vaccination, he stated, 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.
The GHS promised 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.
