The Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says some government officials will publicly receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to boost confidence in the mass vaccination exercise.

“Some members of the executive will as part of the demystifying process and the public education publicly take their COVID-19 shots,” he disclosed at the Public Engagement on COVID-19 Vaccination Roll Out Plan on Friday, February 19, 2021.

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah did not name the government officials who will be taking part in the vaccination but said he had volunteered himself.

“I have volunteered that I will [take the vaccine publicly] and I am aware that other people will do the same,” he said.

Amid fears that some persons may reject the virus, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah stressed that it was important to highlight the safety of the vaccination process.

“We need to create awareness. We need to sensitise people, we need to deal with the apprehensions [with the vaccine roll out] as well,” the Information Minister-designate said.

To this end, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah also said there will be elaborate stakeholder engagements and sustained public sensitisation campaigns by the Local Government Service, Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, National Commission for Civic Education and Information Services Department to educate the public on the upcoming immunisation exercise.

He added that the sensitisation campaign will visit markets, lorry parks, churches, mosques and other public places to provide further clarity on the vaccination exercise.

“That is where you will see vans and outreach in the communities putting out the word, answering questions and educating the general public.”

The government plans to purchase 350,000 doses of the AstraZeneca by the end of February and the vaccine rollout has been earmarked for between March and October.

The vaccination target is 20 million persons.