The Ghana Medical Association has dissociated itself from the group of doctors kicking against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in the country.
In a statement, the GMA said the stance of the doctors was flawed and “based on skewed data.”
The group, known as the Concerned Ghanaian Doctors, petitioned President Akufo-Addo not to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory in public and private institutions.
This comes as the Ministry of Health has indicated that it may be forced to trigger a mandatory vaccination in Ghana if the rate of vaccination does not improve.
But the GMA contends that the content of the petition “does not in any way reflect the situation of COVID-19 in Ghana.”
It said the petition was “misleading, unfortunate, and not based on available local and international scientific data.”
“Data available to the GMA supports the efficacy and safety of all the COVID-19 vaccines currently registered and in use in Ghana.”
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“The evidence that the vaccines reduce the incidence of critical illness, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and deaths globally and in Ghana is undisputed,” the statement added.
Currently, Ghana has 10,889 active cases of the virus with 1,336 deaths.
In total, 152,243 cases have been detected in the country since March 2020.
Ghana’s vaccination efforts have seen 2.9 million of Ghana’s 30 million population fully vaccinated, while 6.6 persons have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The government declared December 2021 as the month of vaccinations, amid growing concerns of vaccine hesitancy among Ghana’s population.
This has been accompanied by vaccine mandates like the directive to all persons to be vaccinated on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport before they can be permitted to enter the country.
This has coincided with the emergence of groups kicking against vaccine mandates, citing the potential for fatal adverse reactions.
