As part of moves to ensure that most Ghanaians get vaccinated against the coronavirus pandemic, Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsia As
As part of moves to ensure that most Ghanaians get vaccinated against the coronavirus pandemic, Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsia Asare has said yet-to-be vaccinated delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) shall be prevented from entering the grounds of the party’s upcoming conference in Kumasi.
Speaking to journalists on Monday December 13, he said delegates have up to Friday to get vaccinated or risk losing their right to partake in the National Annual Delegates Conference to be held on Saturday December 18.
“Any delegate who is coming to the conference without having been vaccinated will not be allowed into the grounds of the conference.
“I repeat, any delegate who is coming should be vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated yet, you have today, tomorrow, Thursday Friday to vaccinate before you go to Kumasi. If you don’t come without any vaccination card , genuine one we will check, you will not be allowed onto the conference,” he said.
The government though the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, is determined to vaccinate as many as possible especially ahead of the Christmas season to prevent a spike in the severe cases of the coronavirus infections.
The month of December was declared as the mandatory vaccination month.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday November 28, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kumah-Aboagye said vaccination was the surest way to deal with the virus.
He further assured that the authorities are going to scale up surveillance measures at the Kotoka International Airport during the Christmas season to ensure that Covid infections do not increase.
He further said that the mistakes that were made in December last year which occasioned the escalation of infections in January this year, will not be repeated.
There is going to be a “strict enforcement of the protocols at the KIA. We are going to increase surveillance. We are expecting increased number of people to arrive in the country.
“we are going to ensure that our logistics are prepared, we will continue our surveillance to be able to look at that, we are going to look at isolation centres,” he said.
He added “Our contact tracing will be strengthened.
“We are going to engage with religious organizations to ensure that activities in done in Christmas are in accordance with Covid protocols.”
Dr Nsia Asare justified the mandatory vaccination exercise saying the government is determined to the lives of Ghanaian against the dreaded coronavirus.
Healthcare workers, security personnel, staffs of schools and all staffs of government institutions, commercial drivers, Okada riders, Uber drivers among others have been mentioned as persons required to undertake the compulsory vaccination.
Addressing a press conference Wednesday, December 1, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said it has become necessary for the country to take stricter measures.
Dr Nsia Asare while explaining the declaration of December as the vaccination month, on the Key Points on TV3/3FM on Saturday December 4, said “During times of pandemics like this, especially when the scare is like this and then we are losing a lot of social economic lives, we have to save our livelihoods and also our lives.
“The Public Health Act which the Minister stood on had come out with sanctions. For example, washing our hands and wearing masks were all from the Executive Instrument we made standing on the Public Health Act.
“So, if you think that you are a teacher or you are Uber driver or you are a driver and you don’t want to be vaccinated, you either park your car because we don’t want you to be a threat or a risk to somebody who join your vehicle,” he said.
He also allayed fears of persons who are worried about the potential reaction from taking the covid vaccine.
He stated that it is normal to experience headache, body pains and other reactions. These are indications that the vaccine is functioning properly in the body, he said.
“If you are vaccinated and you feel slight headache it means the vaccine is working very well,” Dr Nsia Asare said.
He further urged all persons who are yet to receive their vaccines to do so in order to save their lives and the lives of others.
In his view, Ghana cannot afford to go through fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic hence the government, through the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has taken the vaccination exercise a step higher in order to get as many as possible inoculated.
Vaccination centres, he stated, are being created closed to the people in the communities including market areas to make it easier for them to go through the exercise.
“We cannot afford a fourth wave,” he said, adding that “we can all do this together if you are vaccinated,” he said.
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