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The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has today, 24th January 2022, has introduced a new initiative in the ongoing Covid-19 Vaccination in the Region.
The Health Directorate recently launched the Ashanti Regional Covid-19 Vaccination Month with the aim of involving the populates in the vaccination exercise.
The Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang in a press briefing has disclosed that the vaccines are now safe for pregnancy,so pregnant women are now going to be vaccinated without any negative health complications.
“When a woman becomes pregnant, her immunity becomes very low and it’s better for them to be immunized since evidence have now shown that they can be immunized because pathophysiology of Covid-19 of pregnancy mimic preeclampsia and it’s one area where if you don’t manage well, mortalities are always very high, so it will be a benefit to them when you immunize them”.
“They are at higher risk of dying when they get the Covid so we are going to prioritize pregnant women in the region and vaccinate them”, he added.
He then recommended the exact type of vaccines for these pregnant women and gave an outlined procedures as to the time frame they will be taking their jab when they visit their various health centers.
“We are recommending the Moderna and Pfizer for the pregnant women and the first dose will be given as early as possible in pregnancy, and the second dose will followed that of general population”.
“For Pfizer, when you take the first dose, you will wait until three weeks before you take the second dose and for Moderna, you wait for four weeks after you’ve taken the first dose before you’ll be given the second dose”, he said.
Dr. Tenkorang also asserted that its the aim of the Health Service to give a booster dose to the high risks population to avoid the reduction of immunity after taking the vaccine.
“We know that the immunity for Covid-19 usually wanes so when you take the vaccine, from three months to six months, you realize that the immunity will drop and for that reason we are starting the booster vaccination for the high risk group “.
The Regional Health Director, finally revealed that, one can take a third dose of AstraZeneca as a boaster after they have already taken two doses of AstraZeneca (Homologous Vaccines) and one can also take two doses of AstraZeneca and take one doze of Moderna or Pfizer as the booster (Heterogeneous Vaccine) which are the approved vaccines to be used as a booster dose.
The high risks group, health workers, person’s with underlying condition, security workers, the aged and members of arms of government are the targeted groups to be given the booster vaccines.
Dr. Tenkorang then pleaded with the people in the region to continue to adhere to the safety protocols despite the fact that people are vaccinating.
The Ashanti Region so far has a cumulative cases 22,273 with 21,823 recoveries and 389 deaths with 61 active cases, which 54 are being managed at home and 7 in various treatment centers.
By Yaw Owusu (Kumasi)
