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ACCRA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo
urged citizens of the West African state on Sunday to ignore
conspiracy theories surrounding coronavirus vaccines ahead of
the launch of its nationwide inoculation campaign against the
virus on Tuesday.
"Fellow Ghanaians, I know there are still some who continue
to express doubts about the vaccine, others have expressed
reservations about its efficacy, with some taking sides with
conspiracy theorists who believe the vaccine has been created to
wipe out the African race. This is far from the truth,"
Akufo-Addo said in a nationwide address on Sunday night.
"Taking the vaccine will not alter your DNA, it will not
embed a tracking device in your body, neither will it cause
infertility in women or in men," he said.
Ghana was the first country to receive vaccines as part of
the global COVAX scheme aimed at providing poorer nations
vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahead of the launch of its campaign after receiving 600,000
doses of AstraZeneca shots, health authorities in Ghana,
like in other countries, are facing rumours and scepticism about
vaccines, driven mostly by mistrust of pharmaceutical companies
and other beliefs.
Akufo-Addo added that as president, and to reassure the
public that the vaccine is safe, he and the first lady, together
with the vice president and second lady, would take the vaccine
publicly on Monday.
He said other senior political, religious, judiciary and
legislative leaders would take their shots in public on Tuesday.
Ghana has recorded 84,023 coronavirus cases and 607 deaths,
with nearly 200 deaths in the past month alone, hit by a second
wave of infections.
(Reporting by Christian Akorlie; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing
by Peter Cooney)
