File photo of a coronavirus vaccine
A total of 22,482 people of the estimated eligible population of 71,504 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Wassa East District of the Western Region.
Ms. Patience Asantua, Wassa East District Disease Control Officer who made this known, said 53,705 people had also received one dose of the vaccines.
She said the District Health Directorate had received 67,237 COVID-19 vaccines of Astrazeneca, Modena, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson.
Ms. Asantua made this known during a day’s training workshop organised by the Wassa East District Health Directorate in collaboration with the Information Services Department (ISD), for operators of Community Information Centers to help speed up the COVID-19 vaccination sensitisation drive.
Mr. Prince Atta Amanfo, Wassa East District Health Promotion Officer, appealed to all those who had received their second dose of the COVID-19 jab more than three months to go for a booster dose to enable them acquire extra immunity.
He also implored those who had received the Johnson and Johnson single dose for more than three months to go for a booster dose to enable them to acquire maximum immunity.
The Wassa East District Director of Health, Mr. Emmanuel Aflekum, announced that the COVID-19 vaccination sensitisation training was imperative since it would go a long way to correct the negative perception circulating in the communities and encourage people to come out and take the vaccines.
According to him, the information centers were credible sources of information at the rural and community level since the people could identify with the operators.
He indicated that the operators would be expected to help other community members to locate where to get the vaccines.
He said the government had spent millions of taxpayers' money to import the vaccines and there was the need for the people to take it to protect themselves from the virus as well as to prevent wastage of the vaccines.
For his part, the District Information Officer, Mr. Frank Kwabena Danso schooled participants on the basic ethics of communication and admonished the operators to use their platform to help build their communities in health, agriculture, and education.