Paramount Chief of Aflao Traditional Area Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, has taken his first COVID-19 jab at his residence in Aflao, to convince chiefs and people of the Traditional Area to also take the shot.
The President of the Aflao Traditional Council who led members of the Council in taking their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would be expected to take the second dose after eight weeks.
At a brief meeting of the Council before the vaccination exercise, Torgbui Fiti said he declined an earlier opportunity to take the jab just because he wanted to lead the way for his chiefs and people, so that a lot more people could submit themselves to the exercise.
He urged every Aflao citizen and the people of Ketu South to get vaccinated to first, protect themselves from contracting the pandemic and its serious risks including death and hospitalisation and second, to help better push the demand for the opening of the land borders.
“Last Thursday, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, President of Volta Regional House of Chiefs conveyed a meeting for us in Ho for all of us to take the COVID-19 vaccine. I left without taking it that day knowing very well that I needed to take it right here to encourage you and our people to also take it. A lot of people in Aflao and Ketu South are unwilling to take the vaccine but I’m urging everyone to accept it.
“Ignore all those stories you hear about the vaccine and be assured of its safety. At least, since Thursday, none of my colleague chiefs who took the jab complained about any adverse effects. It’s to protect us from COVID-19. For those of us in Ketu South and especially Aflao, it’s even a must for us so that we can formally push the demand for the opening of the border.”
Torgbui Fiti said unlike the people of Aflao who were hesitant of getting vaccinated, the majority of the population across the border in Lome had been vaccinated and noted that he hoped to see about 20,000 resident of Aflao being vaccinated by the end of November.
Mama Agbeanyade II, Paramount Queen of Aflao Traditional Area in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after taking her jab said, “I didn’t feel anything when I took it” and encouraged everyone to take the vaccine assuring, “if we, your chiefs and queens have taken it, know that it’s safe that’s why we took it and there should be no need for you to have any fears”.
Torgbui Pasaku IV, Dufia of Hatsukope reiterated the need for everyone to get vaccinated to contain the pandemic necessary for relaxing restrictions it occasioned including that on the land borders in order for people in border communities whose livelihoods had been badly affected by the closure to have some respite.
Joseph Kwami Degley, Municipal Director of Health Services for Ketu South, called on residents to visit the Municipal Hospital to take the shot to protect them from the virus noting, a time would come when possessing the COVID-19 vaccine card would be required to do a lot of things”.
Monday’s vaccination exercise saw chiefs of Aflao and some Traditional Areas vaccinated at their respective areas with the remaining Traditional Area of Klikor chiefs, expected to take theirs on Wednesday.
GNA