Cape Coast, Sept.17, GNA – The Central Regional Health Directorate has warned against anti-vaccination and other reckless behaviours which could spark a new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, stressing that there is no end in sight for the pandemic in Ghana.
It said unlike Europe, vaccination in Ghana and many other African countries, was not optimal and, therefore, citizens must continue to religiously adhere to all COVID-19 protocols.
The caution comes on the back of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) assertion that the world could soon see an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director, said at a presser Wednesday, September 14, 2022, saying “we are not there yet but the end is in sight.”
But Dr Kwabena Sarpong, the Acting Regional Director of Health, said the statement could not be true for Ghana in spite of the minimal active cases, citing the country’s vaccination situation.
He was speaking in Cape Coast at a stakeholder meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination situation in the Central Region.
He noted that Ghana had achieved only 52 percent of vaccination rate as against the 70 percent needed to reach herd immunity.
In the Central Region specifically, he said only 52 percent of eligible persons had been fully vaccinated with only 30 percent receiving boosters instead of 100 percent.
“For me, I will hesitate to say that is the end of story for Ghana and other African countries,” he emphasised.
Dr Sarpong was worried that myths such as it “gives cancer, “causes infertility,” “makes you sick” and “it was created to wipe away the African race” continued to fuel vaccine hesitancy among a section of the population in the region.
He dispelled all negative rumours and urged citizens to get themselves fully vaccinated in order to propel the country towards the end of the pandemic, saying ‘the vaccines are safe’.
The region recorded its first case of the disease on April 8, 2020 and has since recorded more than 5,974 cases with 40 deaths and over 95 percent recovery.
At the last check about a week ago, the region had no active cases.
Dr Sarpong noted that there were reports of other deaths attributed to the disease but the Directorate was yet to validate same.
He stated that many people had recovered from the disease with serious health complications including cardiovascular challenges, breathing difficulties, kidney problems and memory failure adding that, “we are yet to quantify the post-covid syndrome.”
“This is why you need to take the vaccine. Don’t be deceived that the disease is gone because everything seems normal; it is still very dangerous. Even though I am fully vaccinated, I have gotten it twice, but I had no complication,” he said.
For those who have been fully vaccinated, he urged them to take a booster every six months.
“Let us continue to wear our masks and wash our hands under running water because we are going to live with the virus for a while until we reach herd immunity,” he admonished.
He recommended lime, honey and ginger as some helpful remedies to fight against the virus and ensure general wellbeing because they contained antioxidants that built the body’s immunity.
Dr Sarpong called on all stakeholders to champion the campaign for the vaccination drive and adherence to the various protocols to enable Ghana reach herd immunity as soon as practicable.
