‘It’s not right to force people to get COVID vaccines’: Group to gov’t

As Ghanaian authorities roll out compulsory vaccination for its citizens to fight COVID-19, the move has been met with fierce opposition from pressure groups and individuals in the West African country.

A Christian movement known as Advocates for Christ Ghana (A4CG) is leading the charge as it argues people must be encouraged to take them and allowed to make their own decisions.

The chairman of the movement, Edem Senanu said there is no basis or need for vaccination in Ghana to be made compulsory.

“It is well and good to do vaccination, and it is better to educate your population so that people they voluntarily say they want to take the vaccine, but in the context of where we find ourselves, don’t force people to take the vaccine,” he told Citi FM’s Eyewitness News.

He added that a compulsory vaccination programme could lead to health challenges for some persons.

Ghana has introduced strict measures at the Kotoka International Airport after cases of the Omicron variant COVI-19 were identified among passengers entering the country.

It has also announced plans to prevent the unvaccinated population from accessing certain public spaces such as stadia and entertainment event centres during the yuletide.

But Edem Senanu says data from other parts of the world does not support compulsory vaccination of people.

“We are not quite sure that people are looking at the global data and trying to analyse it per what we are seeing here in Africa so that we make an informed decision.”

“It is alright to continue vaccination, masking up, social distancing and handwashing, but it is not right to force people to get vaccines… We think that it is unfair to people who are aware of the risks involved,” he stressed.

He indicated that their arguments are based on science and not religious considerations, adding that the movement does not believe that the COVID-19 risks and threats in Ghana are high enough to warrant compulsory vaccination.

“Where exactly is the public health threat? What is the logic of arriving at this point that we are making it compulsory?” he quizzed.