The Greater Accra Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) will commence the administration of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in the region from today Friday, November 5, 2021.

The five-day exercise is expected to end on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, and about 216,000 people are expected to be vaccinated.

The Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Mrs Charity Sarpong, disclosed these at a news conference in Accra yesterday.

She said the vaccine would be administered in two doses, explaining that the second dose would be administered after four weeks.

According to Dr Sarpong, the vaccine would be deployed in all the 29 districts within the region,at all public health facilities.

“Mobile teams will also move around some centres within the various districts and administer the vaccines to people who have not been vaccinated,” she stated.

Dr Sarpong said the vaccination would cover persons from 18 years and above and expressed optimism that about 60 per cent of the targeted population would be vaccinated.

“This exercise is meant for persons who have not receive any of the COVID-19 vaccines and even if you have received one dose of any of the vaccines and waiting for the second dose, you are not part of this exercise,” she said, adding that “pregnant women are also not part of the upcoming exercise.”

Dr Sarpong disclosed that all the vaccines had gone through stringent safety standards and proven to be effective and efficient in the fight against the coronavirus disease.

She appealed to the general public to visit the vaccination centres with any valid national identity card to be vaccinated.

Dr Sarpong encouraged all persons who have not been vaccinated to partake in the upcoming vaccination exercise to protect themselves of the disease.

She also advised the general public to adhere strictly to the COVID-19 safety protocol, especially as the country entered intothe festive season.

Ghana took delivery of more than 1.2 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States on September 4, 2021.

Delivered through COVAX, the donation is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government has vowed to vaccinate 20 million Ghanaians by the end of 2021, and has so far secured over 3.2 million COVID-19 vaccines.