President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that getting vaccinated will not cause you to vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 general elections.
The President said contrary to the mischief being peddled by some, “getting vaccinated will not cause you to vote for the NPP in the 2024 elections, if you do not want to. This is an outrageous claim. Vaccination cannot change your political preferences. That is not its purpose.”
He said there were significant quantities of vaccines deployed to every corner of the country.
“We have, thus, declared the month of December as vaccination month, and we are rolling out an aggressive campaign of vaccination, so that as many Ghanaians as possible have the opportunity to be vaccinated. It is a race against time, but we are determined to accomplish it.
“We continue to make steady progress in our quest to manufacture vaccines domestically. Two days ago, on Monday, I was in Luxembourg, where I held discussions with the President of the European Investment Bank, Herr Werner Hoyer, on Ghana’s COVID-19 Response Plan.:
In a national address Wednesday night, President Akufo-Addo reiterated that Ghana’s land borders will remain closed until the right time.
President Akufo-Addo has said it is not the right time to reopen Ghana’s land borders at a time a fourth wave of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was threatening with the discovery of a new variant – Omicron.
The address, which was the 27th update President Akufo-Addo has given to the nation since the outbreak of the disease elaborated on the new measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease especially during the Yuletide.
On the continuous closure of the borders, President Akufo-Addo said:
“To my fellow Ghanaians living along the borders of our nation, I know of the difficulties occasioned by the closure of our borders.
“As you know, the decision to close our borders, which are a source of livelihoods for many, was necessary because we wanted to limit the importation of the virus into the country.
“We are monitoring the level of threat of the disease and ongoing vaccinations in our neighbouring countries, and, as soon as we are satisfied that it is safe to do so, the borders will be open. Until then, I believe this is not the right time to reopen our land borders, especially as we are determined to prevent a 4th wave, and, as such, they will remain closed until further notice”, the President stated.
Covid-19 data in Ghana
President Akufo-Addo said as of Sunday, December 12, 2021, some 2,042,778 tests had been conducted, out of which 131,911 positive cases had been recorded.
Out of that 129,683 persons had recovered, meaning that, presently, the number of active cases, that is the number of people with the virus, stands at 973 persons.
The President said in as much as this represents some degree of good news, “we have, sadly, had 1,255 persons dying from COVID-19.”
The current data suggests quite a favourable COVID situation prevailing in Ghana, and “I say this only to encourage each one of us to continue to be vigilant, and adhere to the enhanced hygiene protocols which have served us so well so far.”
Three regions – Ashanti, Greater Accra and Volta, have the bulk of infections.
Seven regions have single-digit infections, and six regions, that is Ahafo, North East, Oti, Savannah, Upper West and Western North, at the moment, have zero active cases.
“We must do everything possible, at the very least, to maintain this situation, especially as the festive season approaches,” President Akufo-Addo added.
More vaccines available
President Akufo-Addo stressed that getting the jab is the best route out of the pandemic, because, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), it reduces the risk of death, hospitalisation and the spread of the virus.
“It is for this reason that we have committed ourselves to vaccinating some twenty million Ghanaians, that is the entire adult population, by the end of the year.”
He said after the start of an impressive vaccination drive in March this year, “we were confronted with vaccine supply constraints and disruptions at the global level. Fortunately, in recent months, the supply situation has improved considerably, and we estimate that, by the end of December, we would have secured a total of some 26 million doses.
Over 17million vaccine doses received
He said as of Tuesday, December 14, 2021, the Ghana Health Service had taken delivery of 17,736,710 vaccine doses.
“We are expecting an additional 8,529,090 doses by the end of the year.
“We have enough vaccines in the system. So, my fellow Ghanaians, I encourage each and every one of you to take advantage of this, and get vaccinated.
“So far, we have been able to administer only six million, four hundred and twenty thousand, nine hundred and seventy-three (6,420,973) doses out of the 17.7 million we have at our disposal. Let me state, as clearly as I can. The vaccines are safe. They will not harm you. They will protect you and your family.”
“So far, we have been able to administer only six million, four hundred and twenty thousand, nine hundred and seventy-three (6,420,973) doses out of the 17.7 million we have at our disposal. Let me state, as clearly as I can. The vaccines are safe. They will not harm you. They will protect you and your family.”
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