The Non-State Actors for Health and Development, Ghana (NSA-Ghana) has declared support for Ghana's mass COVID-19 vaccination and asked the government to deepen collaborations with stakeholders to erase negative perceptions about the COVAX vaccines.

It asked stakeholders including assembly members, traditional leaders, celebrities, and the media to sensitise the public on the vaccines and encourage the citizenry to go for the jab.

According to NSA-Ghana, at least 65 per cent to 70 per cent of a country's population needed to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity, "literally meaning that there will be so little virus circulating in the country that the rest of the population will be protected" when that was done.

A statement issued and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra by the NSA-Ghana, therefore, urged the government to expedite action in bringing in more doses of the vaccine in line with the national vaccination roll-out plan.

It commended the government for efforts at producing a local vaccine through the setting up of a national committee headed by renowned Physician, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

The statement recollected that since Ghana recorded its first two cases of COVID-19 about a year ago, the country had shown leadership, and had been able to become the first country in the West African sub-region to receive a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility.

"And for this NSA-Ghana commends the Government of Ghana for yet again, showing leadership in this vaccination drive'" and reiterated the call on the populace to take advantage of the vaccines and protect themselves and others from the virus.

NSA-Ghana is a Coalition of Non-State Actors including NGOs, media, traditional leaders, academic institutions, philanthropic foundations among other relevant bodies operating in the health sector in Ghana.