President Akufo-Addo has hinted that through the National Vaccine Deployment Plan, the country's population has been segmented into four groups to aid in a smooth vaccination process.
According to him, it will determine which section of the population gets vaccinated at a particular time.
Addressing the nation on Sunday, he said "Group 1 is categorized as 'persons most at risk and frontline State officials'. It includes healthcare workers, frontline security personnel, persons with underlying medical conditions, persons sixty (60) years and above, and frontline members of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary"
He added that group 2 will see other essential service providers and the rest of the security agencies.
President Akufo-Addo further said "It includes water and electricity supply services, teachers and students, supply and distribution of fuels, farmers and food value chain, telecommunications services, air traffic, and civil aviation control services, meteorological services, air transport services, waste management services, media, public and private commercial transport services, the Police Service, Armed Forces, Prisons Service, Immigration Service, National Fire Service, CEPS Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, and other members of the Executive, Judiciary, and Legislature"
Speaking on the 3rd group, he also hinted that it will centre on the rest of the general public, that is all persons over eighteen (18) years, except for pregnant women.
On group 4, he however mentioned that it will include pregnant mothers and persons under the age of eighteen (18).
"They will be vaccinated when an appropriate vaccine, hopefully, is found, or when enough safety data on the present vaccines are available. Special arrangements will be made for persons with disabilities who fall within these groups" he noted.
President Akufo-Addo in his address stated if things go as planned, the estimated twenty million Ghanaians will by the end of this year be vaccinated.
It will be recalled that on Wednesday, 24th February, Ghana took a concrete step in its quest to rid the nation of COVID-19, with the arrival in the country of six hundred thousand (600,000) doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The 600,000 is the first consignment of many more to come.
"I indicated in Update No. 23 that the earliest vaccine would be in the country by March. However, by dint of hard work and sheer determination, the Government was able to secure the first batch of vaccine doses in February, a month ahead of schedule. We are the first country in the world to be recipients of vaccines from the COVAX Facility" he noted.
President Akufo-Addo expressed his appreciation to members of the COVID-19 Taskforce, and officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service for their commendable feat.
He said "The vaccine deployment plan we submitted to WHO, which unlocked this consignment, was well-received. They have done a yeoman’s job, and our nation is indebted to them. We are grateful, also, naturally, to the contributors and managers of the COVAX Facility"
The AstraZeneca vaccine is one of two (2) vaccines that have, so far, been approved and declared as safe-for-use by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
"With the process of certification currently ongoing for the other vaccines, the range of vaccines available to Ghana will increase" he concluded.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith