The Upper East Regional Health Directorate has disclosed that while it is still dealing with hesitancy against vaccination along with misconceptions and non-scientific speculations and conjecture about COVID-19, instances of same have decreased significantly. The Directorate however maintains that it still remains a problem and could stand in the way of the country’s attempt to reach some 20 million Ghanaians by the end of the first quarter.
The Deputy Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Josephat Nyuzaghl who spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East said “when the vaccination began in March, we had a lot of issues, even among health workers. I mean, this was the first time we were introducing the vaccines. Given all the myths and misconceptions surrounding it, people were reluctant. What we realized was that as we engaged the individuals and let them understand that the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh that of not being vaccinated, many of them eventually came on board”.
“For hesitancy, we can never completely eradicate it. There are some religious institutions that are against it but we are working with them and they are coming on board,” he added.
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Dr. Nyuzaghl said the vaccines were safe. He insisted that the government was not coercing people to get the vaccines as has been said many times by some members of the public. “What we are saying is if you need to go into a public place, in order not to be a risk to others, you need to show that you have vaccinated. It is not about the individual. It is about the collective good,” he said.
A1radioonline.com|101.1MHZ|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith| Ghana|
