Tema, March 2, GNA – Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive together with Mr Yves Hanson Nii Noi Nortey, Member of Parliament for Tema Central were among the first people to receive the COVID-19 vaccination in Tema on Tuesday.
Mr Anang-La received the first jab at about 1118 hours at the forecourt of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, which served as one of the 17 centres for the vaccination in the Tema Metropolis.
In all a total of 10,700 residents were expected to receive the vaccine in the Tema Metropolis in the first round of vaccination.
The MCE after taking his jab encouraged other residents to avail themselves for the vaccine, “I took the first one to allay the fairs and misconception of the exercise”.
According to him, they had shown the way for others to follow and explained that the exercise was straight forward and painless.
Mr Anang-La said the Assembly had deployed an Information Van to undertake public education on the vaccination exercise to ensure that residents were well informed to take their jabs.
Mr Nortey on his part said the jab was similar to any other vaccination which had been developed by scientists and therefore appealed to residents and the public to have some confidence in the vaccine as a first step towards normalization.
Dr Sally Quartey, Director of Health Service for the Tema Metropolis taking the MCE through the processes for the vaccination said one’s bio data would first be entered, before the jab was given, a vaccination card would then be issued, after which you seat at a designated place for some minutes just for observation before leaving the centre.
Dr Quartey said the current exercise was the first dose with the second one to be given eight weeks later.
Meanwhile scores of residents within the Tema North enclave who had converged at the Narh-Bitha Hospital eager to participate in the COVID-19 vaccination got agitated when the exercise delayed for almost six hours.
The Ghana News Agency information indicated that the cause of the delay was necessitated by the process to ensure that the nurses and medical officials who formed part of the frontline officials got vaccinated first in accordance to the directives.
The agitation however turned to recommendation and cheers when the exercise finally took-off smoothly at 12 00 noon with medical officials of the Narh-Bitah Hospital, members of the public and the media taking turns to be vaccinated.
Tema North has four designated vaccination centres: Narh-Bitha Hospital, Subin Valley, Vienna City, and 24 Hours Clinic.
GNA