The Western North Regional Health Directorate has begun administering the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to persons who took the first dose in March, this year, in order to complete the process.

The Directorate is also administering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to the public in all the nine districts of the Region.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Dr Marion Okoh-Owusu, the Regional Health Director, asked residents to go along with either a national ID card or the card issued after the first dose.

Dr Okoh-Owusu said more than 600,000 persons had been targeted for the exercise and asked residents to give health officials the necessary support as they did during the first dose.

She said the COVID-19 police introduced by the Directorate had helped in the fight against the pandemic and urged them to continue to work diligently.

Meanwhile, in a statement copied to the GNA, the Directorate said the Region had recorded nine deaths out of 967 confirmed cases with 942 recoveries.

The Region now has 16 active cases with Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipality recording 13 of the active cases and Waiwso having three.

The statement encouraged residents to regularly wear nose masks, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers and wash hands with soap under running water.