We are committed to ensuring wider coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations - GHS

The Bolgatanga Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Health Services (GHS) has said it is committed to ensuring a wider coverage of COVID-19 Vaccinations including the booster jabs, to close the gap in the ongoing vaccinations exercise.

It said until there were no more vaccines, vaccination would continue to reach out to the majority of the people.

Mr. Edmund Nellic Nyanwura, the Municipal Director of Health Services (GHS) in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga said the vaccination exercise had been carried out in four Senior High Schools in the Municipality.

The schools are Bolgatanga Senior High, Zamse Senior High, Bolgatanga Girls Senior High, and Bolgatanga senior High Technical.

Mr. Nyanwura said the current round of the vaccination was not as encouraging as before as the turnout of the public was low.

“We really want more people to take the vaccine because it will prevent other forms of infections, and we will be on the ground always until we don’t have vaccines anymore, we will continue to provide the services at the health centers and the directorate,” the Director said and urged all who had not yet been vaccinated to visit and take their jab to protect themselves from any infections.

Mr. Nyanwura attributed the low coverage to the just-ended Ramadan.
“We thought the uptake would whip up after the fasting, but turn out is slow, perhaps as Muslims prepare to undertake their pilgrimage this year, those travelling will get vaccinated before travelling,” he said.

Meanwhile out of a population of 93,000 in the municipality, 51,000 have taken at least one dose of the vaccine.

Mr. Nyanwura said the surveillance team was on high alert to report any strange health issues and assured them that there were no reported cases of Monkeypox in the area.

He advised all to keep COVID-19 protocols, keeping a good distance from one another and washing hands regularly, to prevent transmission.

“Surveillance is key so the team will observe vigilance at health centres, over the counter medicine sales points to check regularly reported health problems," he stressed.