Western regional GHS sets 350 vaccinations sites, provides evening vaccination services

As part of efforts to attain 50 percent coverage for at least, one dose of vaccination by end of the year, the Western Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has mounted over 350 sites across the region for COVID-19 vaccination.

The locations of the sites are in health facilities, lorry parks, churches, mosques, markets, riverine communities, hard-to-reach areas as well as educational institutions and were providing evening services as well.

The intensified efforts, according to Dr. Yaw Ofori Yeboah, Regional Director of the GHS was to ensure that the vaccines were easily accessible to all eligible persons irrespective of their location.

Dr. Yeboah made this known on Monday when he briefed the media on the directives regarding the declaration of December as COVID-19 vaccination Month as well as plans put in place to execute them.

Currently, 25 percent of the eligible population, including children above 15 years have at least, received a dose of the vaccine with 65 percent yet, to receive a single dose of the vaccine in the Region.

So far, Dr. Yeboah said a total of 494,854 vaccines have been administered in the Region since April this year with 9.8 percent of the eligible population having been fully vaccinated.

He said the Tarkwa Nsuaem had the highest COVID-19 vaccination first dose coverage with 69.2 percent while the Jomoro District had the lowest vaccination coverage with only 12.3 percent.

Dr. Yeboah said though the Region had recorded 7,551 cases and 73 deaths, the daily cases had declined over the last two months, adding that there were only two active cases in the Region.

He said a similar trend was observed during the same period last year but the cases soared and some people lost their lives in January 2021.

In that regard, he said there was the need to uphold adherence to all the protocols to avoid the devastating impacts of the various variants of the disease on lives and livelihoods.

He disputed the rumours that the vaccines would expire by the end of December, hence, the intensified efforts to vaccinate people before the end of the year, saying, the GHS would not administer an expired vaccine to any Ghanaian.

He lauded the effective collaboration with religious and traditional leaders, the media, and the MMDs for a successful COVID-19 vaccination rollout so far and called for it to be strengthened to extensively administer the vaccines to people at their convenience.

“We need everyone on board to help us achieve the ultimate aim of vaccinating all eligible individuals against the COVID-19 virus,” he said.