The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate is urging the public to avail themselves of the COVID-19 vaccination exercise currently ongoing in the Region to enhance the fight against the global pandemic.
The Directorate is administering first and second doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine to persons who are 18 years and above with the exception of pregnant women in all the 43 districts of the Region.
The exercise, which started on Thursday, September 23, is expected to end on Wednesday, September 29, but it appears patronage is a bit low.
Dr Michael Rockson Adjei, the Deputy Regional Director of Health Services in Charge of Public Health, told the Ghana News Agency that the vaccination was critical to Ghana’s fight against the viral disease.
He said it was important for the public to patronise the exercise as part of measures to contain the disease and reduce the risk of infections.
The misconceptions about the vaccines, he said, were misplaced and urged the people to take the jab as the vaccines were safe and effective.
Dr Adjei said every Ghanaian had a responsibility to help stop the spread and that vaccination was one of the surest ways to achieve that.
He, therefore, encouraged the people in the Region to visit any designated vaccination centre with their identification cards and take the jab.
COVID-19 vaccination was an addition to the existing protocols, he said, and urged the public to continue observing the other protocols for their own safety.
The Ashanti Region, which has so far recorded the second highest cases of the disease, has been vaccinating high risk groups and residents in endemic districts since March, this year.
This is the first time the exercise has been extended to all districts in the Region and the expectation is that as many people as possible would be vaccinated to reduce the risk of infections.