1st batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Ghana but Ghanaians insist on not taking it

Ghana on wednesday February 24, 2021 has received the first batch of Coronavirus vaccines at the Kotoka international airport.

The Minister-Designate for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu led the government delegation to receive the vaccines at 7:00 which was followed by a short ceremony.

The first batch of the vaccines is numbered up 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India (AZ/SII).

Ghana is among 145 countries listed to have received vaccines from a number of suppliers through the COVAX Facility according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Before the arrival of the vaccines, some Ghanaians have held entrenched positions not to take the vaccines for reasons best known to themselves. Some probably are nervous to take the injection due to some unpopular mindset they are having about where the vaccines are coming from.

According General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Justice Yankson, Ghanaians should not be worried about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines as they have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“I believe that the general public should cooperate with the efforts of the scientists, government, the Ghana Health Service, World Health Organization (WHO) and others who are all doing their best working in good faith to try to solve this problem,” he stated.

Information minister designate Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has disclosed Government officials and other high ranking state ministers will take the vaccines to lay away fears.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says they will begin the mass vaccination exercise with Covid-19 vaccines for selected segments of the population in March.