“Massive turnout” for J&J COVID-19 vaccination in Tema
Over 500 people received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine on the first day of the five-day exercise at the Tema General Hospital on Monday, Edward Sagoe, the Administrator revealed on Tuesday, August 17.
He said the patronage of the ongoing exercise has been “so good” there has been a “massive turnout” for the exercise.
“In anticipation of the massive turnout the management of the Hospital created three vaccination enclaves within to decongest and also speed up the administering of the vaccine.
“Whatever doses of vaccine we received from the Directorate is what we administer,” he explained.
According to Mr Sagoe, once the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) had certified the Johnson and Johnson drug, it was good to go for its purpose and they were mandated to administer only one dosage.
He said the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was different from the AstraZeneca vaccine which was administered earlier, therefore the public must understand the process.
“We are only giving one jab, per person,” he stated.
He advised the public to patronize the vaccination exercise because the jab was an immune booster and was an opportunity to fight COVID-19.
He added that none of those who received the vaccines complained of any side effects, but encouraged those vaccinated to watch out for any symptoms, especially when they got home and if there are any major side effects, they should report back to the hospital for medical care.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccines which were administered at the Hospital (TGH) under the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Regional Health Directorate (RHD) was expected to boost the immune system and strengthen their bodies against the novel coronavirus and its related symptoms.
A total of 101,500 residents of the Tema Metropolis are expected to receive the single-shot Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, which started on Monday, August 16 and is expected to end on Friday, August 20, 2021.
Checks by the Ghana News Agency at the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate revealed that a total of 20,300 vials of the vaccine were allocated to the Metropolis with each vail estimated to be used for the vaccination of five persons.
The GNA gathered that the 20,300 would be shared among the five centres based on their patronage to ensure that eligible residents get the needed protection against the virus.
The five centres are: premises of the Health Directorate, Tema General Hospital for Tema South area, TMA Maternity and Children’s Clinic for Community One area, while Bethel Hospital and Bankuman CHPS Compound respectively serve residents of Tema North, and Manhean.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine according to the Ghana Health Directorate is for persons aged 18 years and above with the exception of pregnant women, and those who have already received Astrazeneca or SPUTNIK V vaccines.