[ 2021-03-03 ]

Making COVID-19 vaccination compulsory possible but premature – Agyeman-Manu
The Health Minister-designate, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu
has hinted at the possibility of making the
coronavirus vaccine jab compulsory for all
Ghanaians.

But in the short term, he said such discussions
were premature.

“If it becomes necessary, that may be a way
government will go. But for now, it is a bit
premature for us to predict that situation, but we
will anticipate that,” Mr. Agyeman-Manu said in
a Citi News interview.

He instead urged all Ghanaians to willingly avail
themselves of the vaccination rollout which
started on March 2.

The former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike
Oquaye, however, shot down the possibility that a
law would be enforced to compel Ghanaians to avail
themselves for the vaccination.

He also said through public education and
sensitisation many will come on board to take the
jabs.

“It is better to go tactically. When you make
the people understand what they are doing, love
what they are doing, to do by their own volition,
that will be better.”

“There are certain powers which one can describe
as reserve powers of the state. They are reserved.
You don’t just start applying them,” Prof.
Oquaye said.

Some Ghanaians have expressed misgivings about the
safety of the vaccines amid the threat of
misinformation and conspiracy theories.

President Akufo-Addo and his wife were vaccinated
in a ceremony broadcast live on television to
allay the fears of citizens.

The President urged people to get vaccinated and
not to believe persons casting doubt on the
rollout.

Ghana received 600,000 doses of the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday as part of
the COVAX distribution programme.

The vaccination rollout is to be conducted in 43
districts with high infection rates.

They include 25 in the Greater Accra Region, 16 in
the Ashanti Region, and two in the Central
Region.

As Ghana enters the second day of the mass
vaccination, it has 5,444 active cases of the
virus with 607 deaths.

Ghana has had 84,023 known cases of the virus in
all.

Source - Citinewsroom

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