Senior Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Augustina Angelina Sylverken, has suggested to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to send the COVID-19 vaccination exercise to the door steps of citizens.
She explained that the current state where people walk or travel to centers to get vaccinated is not helpful because it serves as a disincentive for people to get vaccinated.
“Bring the vaccinations right to the people. Let us add education to it and add the kings and queen mothers in our communities to promote it. We can use the leaders to educate their people. They will meet them and explain things to them in their local dialects”.
Dr. Augustina Angelina Sylverken
Explaining the nature of the virus and why every Ghanaian must protect him or herself, Dr. Angelina Sylverken educated Ghanaians to take vaccination as a form of protection.
“It is amazing people are afraid of the vaccines but you need to protect your house to prevent thieves from coming into your house and from encroachers. So many people have so many measures to protect their homes. People do not sleep at night, some do walls, some use guns, mesh wires, electrical fencing, among others and it is the same as the virus and the vaccinations”.
Dr. Augustina Angelina Sylverken
Dr. Angelina Sylverken noted that the house is the human body and the protection mechanisms are the vaccines therefore, everyone must get vaccinated.
“These can never be seen with our naked eye but we need these enhanced mechanisms and that is the vaccine”.
Dr. Augustina Angelina Sylverken
Soon, commercial drivers and their conductors, would be mandated to vaccinate before being allowed to embark on their day-to-day activities. Dr. Angelina Sylverken commenting on the directive by the Health Ministry, stated that the Ghana Health Service must mount vaccination stands at bus terminal to enhance the exercise to ensure these drivers are vaccinated.
Police to inspect vaccination cards
According to the Health Ministry, from January 2022, the Police will inspect the vaccination cards of all commercial drivers and motorbike riders to ensure that they have taken the COVID-19 shot. Additionally, workers of all government institutions and health facilities will not be allowed into their workplaces if they do not show their vaccination certificates, while absence from work for this reason will deprive a worker of his or her salary.
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who announced the modalities indicated that students 15 years or above, as well as all teaching and non-teaching staff of secondary and tertiary institutions are also expected to be vaccinated before the next academic year.
He noted that patrons and workers of all restaurants, stadiums, beaches and night clubs are also expected to be vaccinated mandatorily and show proof before entry into such places.
The arrangements are part of a mandatory vaccination policy which started yesterday and is to be enforced in January next year, following government’s declaration of December as a National Vaccination Month. The mandatory vaccination policy will be expanded in phases to cover more groups based on information gathered from the pilot.
