Former Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye has dispelled all rumours and conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 vaccine development.

The vaccines, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will arrive in Ghana by March, 2021.

Delivering his 23rd update on COVID-19 on Sunday, January 31, the President assured Ghanaians that only accredited, valid and certified vaccines will be imported into the country.

''Fellow Ghanaians, in Update No. 21, I indicated that Ghana is set to procure her first consignment of the COVID vaccines within the first half of this year. Since then, a lot of work has been done towards the realisation of this. Our aim is to vaccinate the entire population, with an initial target of twenty million people. Through bilateral and multilateral means, we are hopeful that, by the end of June, a total of seventeen million, six hundred thousand (17.6 million) vaccine doses would have been procured for the Ghanaian people. The earliest vaccine will be in the country by March," he said.

However, there are some Ghanaians who are sceptical about the efficacy of the vaccines as some believe the vaccines will pose further health risks to the recipients.

Rumormongers also have it that the vaccines are a means to extinguish the African population, hence claiming an ulterior motive by the manufacturers to cause damage to the African race.

Reacting to the issues, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye says the vaccines will not cause any harm.

He noted during a panel discussion on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' that the vaccines are purposely made to provide immunity against the deadly Coronavirus and so-called on Ghanaians not to become anti-Coronavirus-vaccine crusaders but rather concentrate on the benefits of the vaccine.

''Vaccine reduces your chance of sickness and death significantly," he said.

He also debunked claims that the vaccine will cause erectile dysfunction and infertility in men and women.

Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye alluded to other vaccines like that for Polio vaccination and asked whether the vaccines for Polio or any other disease have caused infertility in people.

"If vaccine manufacturers want to reduce our population, by now it would have affected the fertility of our sisters and brothers. It doesn't also mean I'm saying those who manufacture the vaccines are Angels but the point is that we have ethical standards one has to meet before the person can send the vaccines to somebody's country. So far, I haven't seen any bad faith in vaccine production," he stated.