Ho, Dec. 10, GNA- A total of 55,253 persons have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in the Volta region out of a target of one million, representing 4.5 per cent.
Dr Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, Deputy Health Director, In-Charge of Public Health, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, said persons who had taken a single dose were 176,904, representing 14.4 per cent.
He said for persons who had not taken the full dose their immunity level would decline and, therefore, encouraged such persons to go for the second dose to improve their immunity against the virus.
Dr Djokoto said the Region had received over 200,000 vaccines in November; including Astrazenaca, Pfizer and Moderna and that more vaccines were also being processed in Accra for deployment to the Region.
He said the vaccination rate in the Region was low compared to other regions, an indication that a lot more effort had to go into education, social mobilisation and improving access to vaccines within the Region.
Dr Djokoto said if the Region’s vaccination rate was good it would facilitate the reopening of the borders and the economic activities would be improved.
He, therefore, urged all to avail themselves to take the jab.
The Deputy Health Director said people had been grossly misinformed about the vaccines, leading to vaccine hesitancy among certain segments of the population and called for support from the media to sensitise the populace.
He said unlike regions such as Greater Accra, where people directly felt the impact of the virus, most people in the Volta region were not directly affected so could not see it as a public health disease.
Dr Djokoto disclosed that the Region had started administering the Pfizer vaccine to persons aged 15 and above, and to those in Junior and Senior High Schools and entreated parents to encourage their children to take the jab.
The Deputy Health Director said the Region had not recorded the new omicron variant but currently had 22 active cases, which were under control for the past six weeks with none of the cases in the intensive Care Unit.
He commended the Regional House of Chiefs for showing leadership by taking the vaccine in the full glare of the people and admonished the citizens to get vaccinated.
GNA