People still need to wear face masks after second COVID-19 jab — GHS
People who will take the second jab of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, beginning today, will still have to wear face masks.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, who said this, noted that taking the vaccine did not completely protect a person from the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
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Speaking at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, he said, however, that taking the full vaccine could protect a person from being infected, hospitalised and dying.
According to him, there was still the possibility of contracting the virus after taking the second jab, hence the need for people to continue to adhere to the safety protocols.
“Until a significant number of the population are vaccinated, so that the chance of multiplying the virus within you and transmitting to someone who is vulnerable is cut, all have to continue wearing our masks, even if you are fully vaccinated,” Dr Kuma-Aboagye added.
Eligibility for second dose
The director-general said all those who received their first jabs from March 1 to 9, this year were due for the second dose.
He said 360,000 people in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central regions were targeted to receive the second dose.
According to him, there were plans to have more vaccines for people who were yet to receive their first jabs, stressing that the second consignment was specially for those who had received their first jabs.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye also explained that due to the possibility of the proliferation of fake vaccination cards by travellers in other jurisdictions, a few enhancements had been made to the vaccination cards.
He said SMSs would be sent to those who were due to receive their second jabs and where to receive them via their mobile phones.
He said a QR code had also been added to the new vaccination cards.
That, he said, would make it possible for easy verification using mobile phones at anytime, adding that the reviewed vaccine cards had unique identification numbers that could also be verified using mobile phones.
Also, holograms had also been added to the new vaccination cards to prove that a person had fully taken his or her vaccination, he said.
However, if a person was unable to receive the SMS, he could go to the place where he received his first jab, he added.