The President and his Vice on Monday, March 1, 2021, took their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since it arrived in the country on February 24.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia took the vaccine publicly, at the 37 Military Hospital as a gesture to encourage Ghanaians to accept the vaccine and not shy away from it.
The reason for the public display is to also encourage Ghanaians to embrace the vaccine as a sure means to fight and curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
This is because, most Ghanaians have expressed ill feelings toward the COVID-19 vaccination, and many are saying that they will not take the vaccine because they don’t trust the source of the vaccine.
In view of this, the president had the cameras to convey the short ceremony, to diffuse the infodemic churned out by a section of the Ghanaian populace.
This move by the president is expected to disabuse the minds of Ghanaians so that those who entertain fears of an adverse effect of the vaccine will have the confidence to take the vaccine.
After they received the vaccine, the President said that receiving the vaccine does not mean that the safety protocols will not be ahead. The washing of hands, use of sanitizers, and social distancing will continue.
The Vice President also added, “The Food and Drugs Authority has assured us and we are very comforted in the safety of this vaccine and that is why the President took the lead to take this vaccine and we are following in that step and it will then go on with all the health service workers, security agencies and all essential workers and so on.”
He then asked all Ghanaians to be cooperative in this process of vaccination because it is going to take some time, adding that the target is to vaccinate about twenty million Ghanaians.
Public Sentiments and Response to the President’s gesture
After the short ceremony to take the vaccine, some section of Ghanaians expressed their views on the vaccine and some of them said they will take the vaccine because they have seen the president take it.
Others also said they cannot determine whether the content of the bottle containing the vaccine is actually what it is or it is water or something else, and because of that they will not take it.
