Covid-19 Vaccination: GHS embarks five days immunization campaign.

Covid-19 Vaccination: GHS embarks five days immunization campaign.

Covid-19 Vaccination: The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has initiated a five-day vaccination campaign aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake across the country.

Running from July 19 to July 23, 2023, the campaign aims to achieve the necessary vaccination target to safeguard the population and integrate the COVID-19 vaccination into the regular immunization program.

During the launch of the 7th National COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director General of GHS, emphasized the importance of continuing vaccination efforts despite the WHO’s declaration that the pandemic was no longer a public emergency concern.

He clarified that this declaration indicated a change in the approach to managing the pandemic by integrating COVID-19 into existing health delivery mechanisms.

Herd Immunity

Dr. Kuma-Aboagye expressed concern about the low vaccination rate, with nearly 70 percent of the Ghanaian population still unvaccinated.

He stressed that achieving herd immunity required increasing vaccination coverage for all individuals.

According to Professor Francis Kasolo, the WHO Country Director, the ongoing transmission of the OMICRON variant posed a risk to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions, healthcare workers, and pregnant women.

Therefore, supporting population immunity through vaccination, especially for high-priority groups, was essential.

Dr. Kwame Amposa-Achiano, a public health physician, highlighted the unpredictability of the virus and the need for continuous campaigns and effective communication to stress the importance of vaccination.

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is being used for this campaign, targeting individuals aged 18 and above.

To ensure the success of the vaccination campaign, Dr. Amposa-Achiano urged stakeholders, partners, traditional leaders, and the media to actively support the efforts.

Despite approximately 76 percent of the target population receiving at least one dose, only 59 percent have completed the primary vaccination series.

During the campaign, a goal of administering one million doses within five days has been set.

To achieve this, around 53,000 health workers and volunteers, along with 5,000 vaccination teams and over 1,000 supervisors, have been deployed across national, regional, and district levels.

Source: GNA