The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination exercise took off in the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, with an advice to those eligible to avail themselves for the exercise.

Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang, the Regional Director of Health, said it was targeting those who had received the first jab from March 2 to 9, this year, adding that those qualified to be vaccinated had no reason to stay off.

“The Health Service is appealing to the people to endeavour to go to the centres where they took their first jabs to receive the second dose,” he told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Kumasi.

A total of 250, 000 people in the Region were vaccinated in the first phase of the exercise.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has designated ten centres for the second phase in the Metropolis, including the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, KMA Clinic, Anwiam Clinic, City Hospital, Sepe-Buokrom Health Centre and Anwiam Clinic Annex (Kejetia).

Others include Moshie Zongo Health Centre, Suntreso Government Hospital, Mater Dei Hospital and Manhyia Hospital.

The Regional Health Directorate has so far taken delivery of 153, 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines for the second phase, Dr Tenkorang said.

According to the GHS, Ashanti has recorded a total of 15, 568 confirmed cases, out of which 253 had resulted in deaths with the active cases standing at 35.

Meanwhile, when the GNA visited some of the designated vaccination centres, many of the eligible people were waiting in turns to be vaccinated.