Dr. John Ekow Otoo, the Deputy Director of Public Health and Incident Manager for COVID-19 at the Eastern Regional Ghana Health Service, has disclosed that 904,696 individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Eastern Region.

This figure represents 46.2 percent of a target of 1.9 million individuals who are 15 years and above in the region.

Dr. Otoo revealed this information to the Ghana News Agency in an interview to ascertain the current COVID-19 vaccination status and COVID-19 recorded cases in the region as of May 26, 2024, and June 9, 2024, respectively.

He mentioned that 1,227,526 persons, representing 62.6 percent of the targeted population, had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Of those fully vaccinated, 420,770 had received the booster dose to give them extra protection against COVID-19.

Dr. Otoo noted that the Eastern Regional Health Directorate received 1,704,400 doses of AstraZeneca, 1,065,150 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, 807,900 doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen, and 122,640 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, which were distributed to health centers.

He said that 2,238,459 doses of the four vaccines had been administered; however, 171 individuals experienced Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI), with 165 severe cases and 6 mild cases.

An AEFI is an unintended medical reaction caused by vaccination for immunization, which could be mild or severe.

Of the 171 recorded cases of AEFI, 56 percent were females and 44 percent were males, with complaints of headaches, abscesses, severe local reactions, fevers above 38 degrees Celsius, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Other complaints included painful ribs, nausea, loss of appetite, malaise, anaphylaxis, general body pains, and muscle pains as of March 31, 2024.

Dr. Otoo said that as of June 9, 2024, the region had recorded 65 COVID-19 cases, with three active cases in the New Juaben South Municipality.

He said health practitioners were doing their best to vaccinate the targeted population; however, challenges such as misinformation and myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines made it difficult to meet the target.

He encouraged citizens who had yet to receive the doses to do so to protect themselves from easily contracting COVID-19, as it was still present in the system.

Immunization is among the most important public health interventions for preventing and reducing morbidity and mortality in all societies and countries.