Women Group pledge to promote COVID-19 vaccines exercise

Market women leaders and some members, under the Union of Informal Workers Association (UNIWA) of Ghana’s Trades Union Congress (TUC), have pledged their commitment to promote COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among their peers.

This was after the NCCE and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) team engaged them in a stakeholder meeting which presented the facts and sciences about the COVID-19 vaccines and also cleared some innocuous doubts people have about the ongoing COVID-19 Nationwide vaccine exercise.

Madam Deborah Yemoteley Quaye, First Vice President of the UNIWA, commended the resource persons from the GHS for clearing the doubts they have and helping them understand the need for all to be vaccinated. She urged the members to spread the news and knowledge they have received.

Dr. Naziru Tanko Mohammed, a Senior Medical Officer with the Vaccine Safety Monitoring Focal Person, stated that vaccines save lives explaining that by taking COVID-19 vaccines, we would all reduce the rate of deaths from the disease and ultimately help curb the spread.

He explained that the FDA has prior to the commencement of the vaccination exercise, certified and approved them before their deployment in the ongoing vaccination exercise which targets all healthcare workers throughout the country.

Stressing that the vaccines are free and safe, Dr. Tanko gave the assurance that the mild reactions reported by some people are normal. This he said varies from person to person. He urged the market women to avail themselves to take the vaccines when the time is due.

Similarly, Mr. Jerry Fiave, Health Promotion Specialist with the GHS, spoke on the knowledge, attitude, and behaviour of the public on COVID-19 and urged the leaders to speak with facts when talking to their colleagues on the disease.

The Deputy Director, Advocacy and Social Mobilisation, Health Promotion Division, GHS, Mabel Kissiwah Asafo, advised the women to be ambassadors of the Vaccines and encourage more women to participate in the vaccination exercise to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCCE Director of Administration, Mrs. Dora Hammond who touched on the mandate of NCCE and its role to help maintain safe public health especially in times, appealed to the market women to avail themselves for the vaccination exercise and continue observing the safety protocols to reduce the spread of the disease.