The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, says government will from January 2022 inspect COVID-19 vaccination cards of specific groups of persons in the country, including commercial drivers.
According to him, the move forms part of measures by government to whip up interest in the vaccines and also win the war against COVID-19.
Government seeks to vaccinate about 20 million people before the end of the year 2021.
It has thus declared December as the month of vaccination.
While launching the vaccination month in Accra on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, the sector Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, also announced a mandatory vaccination for health workers, security personnel, government workers, and others.
“By the authority that has been bestowed on us by the Public Health Act and its relative clauses, we are declaring the following persons vaccinated before January; all health workers, all security personnel, all staff and students in secondary and tertiary institutions aged 15 and above, all workers in government institutions including parastatals and all commercial drivers especially long-distance drivers, trotro drivers, Ubers drivers and all kind of people who drive people around including okada riders. We will have a way of inspecting [their COVID-19 vaccination] certificates before they are allowed to do their trips. We are giving ourselves December [2021], that is why we are scaling up [our] advocacy before legislation.”
In addition, it is also going to be mandatory for patrons of some entertainment centres to present proof of vaccination before they are allowed entry.
“It is also going to be mandatory that to visit the following venues; nightclubs, beaches, sports stadiums and restaurants. For all those who want to visit indoor restaurants, they should be vaccinated because we will have a way to check their vaccination cards. This Christmas, if you want to go out to go and enjoy yourself, you need to go with your vaccination cards. These are things we are introducing at this time, and we will give the specific dates that this will be effective from early January. So we have about three to four weeks to ensure that everyone is vaccinated for these measures to be in force.”
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says it has detected the COVID-19 Omicron variant at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). The strain was discovered on Sunday, November 21, 2021, by a Nigerian traveller.
It, however, said the variant has not yet been discovered within the community.
