[ 2021-01-31 ]

First shots of COVID-19 vaccine in March - President
Accra, Jan. 31, GNA - Ghana is to get its first
doses of COVID-19 vaccine by March, President Nana
Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced.

In a televised national address Sunday to apprise
the nation on measures being adopted to curtail
the spread of the pandemic, the President said
government would make available some 17.6 million
vaccine doses by the end June 2021, to meet its
target to have at least half of the Ghanaian
population administered jabs.

Government, he said, aimed to vaccinate the entire
population, but had set an initial target to give
jabs to 20 million Ghanaians.

Allaying public skepticism and fears concerning
the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, President
Akufo-Addo assured Ghanaians that the shots to be
procured would be subjected to the thorough
established processes of the Food and Drugs
Administration before an emergency use
authorisation would be granted for its use in the
country.

"As President of the Republic, I assure you that
only vaccines that have been evaluated and
declared as safe-for-use in Ghana will be
administered," he stressed.

The President, following the surge in coronavirus
cases in the over the last two weeks, has
reintroduced the ban on social gathering.

Funerals, weddings, concerts are banned until
further notice. But private burials with not more
than 25 people can take place, with strict
adherence to hygiene and safety protocols.

Beaches, night clubs, cinemas, and pubs are to
remain shut, and Ghana's land and sea borders also
remain closed.

The country, from early January 2021, has
witnessed a worsening case count, with hospitals
and isolation centres being overwhelmed.

As at Sunday, January 31, the total number of
active cases had more than doubled in a forth
night from 1900 to 5,358. And the number of
critically and severely ill persons have
increased, with a daily rate of some 700
infections.

President Akufo-Addo said Government would
continue to monitor the situation, and ensure that
the country returned to normal daily routines.

However, Ghanaians should observe the set
protocols to curb the pandemic, in order not to
slide the country into further social and economic
hardship.

"In effect, fellow Ghanaians, we have a lot of
work to do in coming to grips with the disease.
Given that recent studies show that the UK and
other new variants are being transmitted within
the population, we should all understand that our
current situation could get very dire if efforts
are not made, both on the part of Government and
by you, the citizenry, to help contain the virus.

"I remain hopeful that if each one of us embraces
fully the safety protocols, and we continue to put
our faith in the Almighty, we will emerge strongly
from this pandemic," he said.

Source - GNA

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