The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has urged Ghanaians to reject any harmful COVID-19 vaccine misconceptions being shared on social media platforms.
President of the Association, Dr. Frank Ankobea, noted that contrary to what others are spreading, the COVID-19 vaccine is safe. He shared that over the years, vaccines have been helpful in controlling some deadly diseases that confronted humans.
Speaking in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, he expressed that the media and all stakeholders must embark on an educational campaign on vaccines before Ghana receives the vaccines.
“Let us start the conversation on the vaccines now. Let us start to disabuse the minds of people listening to audios on social media. This is because they are also fighting seriously against the vaccine which for me is not right. For all you may know, the person speaking against the vaccine has already gotten his and yet telling Ghanaians that there are some chips in the vaccine.
We must also intensify the education among medical officers. We need to go round to educate the masses about the vaccine”.
He furthered that personally, he will be among the first people to go for the vaccines when it arrives in the country.
In his 23rd address to the country on measures against COVID-19, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stated that hopefully, “by the end of June, a total of seventeen million, six hundred thousand (17.6 million) vaccine doses would have been procured for the Ghanaian people and the earliest vaccine will be in the country by March”.
He assured that the with the efforts of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), only vaccines that have been evaluated and declared as safe-for-use in Ghana will be administered.
About two weeks ago, the Minister for Information-Designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah revealed that a vaccine roll-out plan for Ghana is expected to be ready within a week. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said among other things, the plan will include a decision on those to be considered as priority for the vaccination.