GHS Storms Schools As Vaccination Starts For 2.6m Students

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Over 2 million students both in school and out of school have been earmarked to be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Dr Patrick Kuma Aboakye, the Director-General of the GHS in an interview on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Monday said the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has given its approval for the vaccine to be administered for students aged 15 years and above.

Why 15 years threshold

Even though other countries are administering the Pfizer vaccine to age 12 to 15 years, Dr Kuma Aboagye explained Ghana picked 15 as the threshold “because of our risk profile”

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“Pfizer has full registration from 12 and above and in consultation with the FDA we decided to administer to students to protect them. We are cutting our coat according to our size…we are also looking at our risk profile and so we are starting with 15 years; the age group that moves a lot” he stated.

According to him, in all “2.6m students, both in school and out of school will be vaccinated and it will be taken to the various schools but those out of school can also join

Unwilling parents

Dr Kuma Aboagye has further allayed the fears of parents who might be skeptical about the safety of the vaccine and also urged the media to assist in sensitization.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwa has said in a statement that “as part of measures at halting the spread of COVID-19 in schools and among the general public, the Ghana Health Service has planned to vaccinate all children aged 15 years and above as soon as possible to increase their level of protection against COVID-19″