In line with the declaration of December as COVID-19 Vaccination Month by the Ghana Health Service, the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate plans to vaccinate about 500,000 people in the region before the end of the month.
The Directorate seeks to achieve this target by intensifying its vaccination campaign through house-to-house vaccination exercises as well as the churches, mosques, keep fit clubs, unions and institutions.
Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Regional Director of Health Services, announced this at the launch of the vaccination month in Kumasi as part of efforts to scale up the campaign.
He said the launch formed part of steps to prevent a possible fourth wave, which had been the case every six months since Ghana recorded its first case of the COVID-19 in March, 2020.
The surest way to prevent another wave was to vaccinate a larger population to reduce the risk of infection as the festive season approached, Dr Tinkorang said.
The Region, he said, had so far vaccinated 1,347,801 people out of whom 432,763 had the full dose with 965,061 receiving only one dose.
The Directorate was targeting to vaccinate about four million people in total to achieve herd immunity but so far only 36 per cent had so far taken at least one dose.
“We now have adequate vaccines in stock and all that is left is for people to make themselves available to be vaccinated so that we can collectively overcome the threat of the virus,” he said.
Dr Tinkorang entreated the public to continue to observe the safety protocols even after receiving the jab to consolidate the gains made.
On the Regional COVID-19 situation, he said only two out of the 43 districts had active cases, which were six in total, and that they were all being managed at home.