President Akufo-Addo and the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo have received the first dose of the initial consignment of COVID-19 vaccines which arrived in the country on Wednesday, February 24.
The move to have the President and the first lady take the first jab of the vaccine is to assure Ghanaians that the vaccines are safe.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Second Lady Samira Bawumia have also taken the first shot of the vaccine.
President Akufo-Addo on Sunday urged Ghanaians to be confident about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine which set to be deployed in the country this week.
According to him, Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority has certified the vaccine, and therefore no need for Ghanaians to be concerned about its safety.
“I know there are still some who continue to express doubts about the vaccine, others have expressed reservations about its efficacy, with some taking sides with conspiracy theorists who believe the vaccine has been created to wipe out the African race.
“This is far from the truth. As your President, I want to assure you that the vaccine is safe,” the President in his 24th National address since the outbreak of the vaccine.
He stressed: “Our domestic regulatory agency, FDA, one of the most reputable in Africa and in the world, has certified the safe use of the vaccine.
“It will not do so if it had any reservations about the safety of the vaccine, and I have gone on record as saying that no vaccine will be deployed in the country for use without the express certification of the FDA”.
With Ghana recording, more than 80,000 cases and almost 600 deaths on account of the virus, the Presidential Advisor on health noted that it would be in the interest of the country, for Ghanaians to avail themselves to be vaccinated when that opportunity came.
Ghana received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines through an UN-backed global vaccine-sharing scheme as part of efforts to enable equitable access to the jabs by low and middle-income countries.
The consignment, which arrived at the Kotoka International Airport, consisted of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines, which are expected to be administered first to frontline health workers, and high-risk persons and people over 60 years, to slow the progression of the disease.
The vaccines were produced by the Serum Institute of India.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
