President Akufo-Addo has confirmed that the Gana Health Service will from Tuesday, 2nd March, to Monday, 15th March 2021, begin deployment of the six hundred thousand (600,000) AstraZeneca vaccines across the country.
According to him, persons in Groups 1 and 2 will be the target of the first vaccination campaign.
Speaking on Sunday, he said "It will be conducted in forty-three (43) districts, which are the epi-centers of the pandemic in the country. They are twenty-five (25) in Greater Accra, sixteen (16) in Ashanti, and two (2) in the Central Region. The Ghana Health Service, as from tomorrow, will give precise details"
President Akufo-Addo also explained that the exercise will initially concentrate on the forty-three (43) epicenter-districts, whilst preparations are being made for the vaccination of twenty million Ghanaians through the deployment of some twelve thousand and seventy-one (12,471) vaccinators, thirty-seven thousand, four hundred and thirteen (37,413) volunteers, and two thousand, and seventy-nine (2,079) supervisors for the entire vaccination campaign.
He reminded Ghanaians that the rollout of the vaccination campaign does not mean people should let their guard down, and discard the safety protocols that have served well thus far.
"We cannot afford to let our guard down. Let us continue to wash our hands under running water, maintain social distancing, refrain from shaking hands and hugging, and, most importantly, wear our masks" he noted.
"We must remember that the virus continues to jeopardize our lives and livelihoods. As of Friday, 26th February 2021, the total number of active cases stood at five thousand, four hundred and forty-four (5,444); our daily infection rate is four hundred (400); and seventy-seven thousand, nine hundred and seventy-two (77,972) recoveries have been recorded. Since I last spoke, one hundred and ninety-one (191) more people have sadly passed away, bringing the number of cumulative deaths to six hundred and seven (607), and twenty-four (24) persons are critically ill" he mentioned.
President Akufo-Addo also revealed that out of sixty-nine thousand, three hundred and fifty (69,350) schools in the country, two hundred and seven (207) have reported cases of infections adding that the number of active cases is now two hundred and eighty-two (282).
"So, until further notice, all the restrictions as announced in my last address remain in force, and the Police will continue to ensure compliance by all and sundry. If all of us stay the course, and adhere strictly to the protocols, we will emerge out of this pandemic even stronger than before. This is my charge to you this evening, my fellow Ghanaians. There is light at the end of the tunnel, we dare not give up all the hard work at this point in time" he concluded.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith