By Zulka – March 9, 2021- padfm.com.gh
Fr. Francis Xavier Kanzong, a Catholic Priest with the Damongo Catholic Diocese has said it is the act of serving God when you accept a challenge to help fight a disease affecting Community, nation or even the whole world.
Fr. Francis said this at the Damongo lorry park on Monday March 8, 2021, during a float to create awareness about the Covid-19 vaccine, maintaining peace and the need to go for the vaccines when they finally get to the Savannah region. The program is a joint effort by the Catholic Church, the Catholic Relief Services and the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) Community Service.
The float saw participants walking through the principal streets of Damongo, the Savannah regional capital.
Fr. Francis explained that the church embarks on the program because Covid-19 is still with us and it has come to stay.
To defeat Covid-19, we need to adjust ourselves with the laid down protocols. People must wash hands under running water with soap, use hand sanitizers, face masks, avoid over crowding, keeping safety distance and visit health facility as early as possible when sick.
Fr. Francis explained that the program was meant for all and not for the Catholics alone. All religions have representatives here together with the NCCE, the youth and other stakeholders. It is not the agenda of the Catholic Church to protect it’s members alone. This virus does not discriminate, whether you are a muslim, christian, traditionalist or any other, you can be infected. So let’s all come together to fight the disease.
The Covid-19 vaccines are in Ghana but without some misconception. Fr Francis explained that the myths surrounding the vaccine are baseless and unscientific. “Some people are going round making unscientific and baseless statements that the Covid-19 vaccines will make you impotent, dull and that some chips will be planted into your system when you accept to be vaccinated. These are all fabrications that have no scientific proof, they are baseless”.
He urged the public to get ready and go for the vaccines when they finally arrive in the Savannah region because ccepting to be vaccinated means you are ready to protect yourself and others from Covid-19. He called on all to take keen interest in the vaccination.
Fr. Francis disclosed that another sensitization program will soon be held for community interaction, games and peace forum from 20th March, 2021. This is tell the people that we need to do more to remain healthy and maintain the peace we have in this country.
The Savannah regional director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Issaka Zito also said the Covid-19 is real and so we must obey the laid down protocols to help mitigate infection rates in the area.
He said the Covid-19 vaccine is very helpful and urged all to go for it when it gets to their turn.
COVAX announced 600, 000 doses of the AstraZeneca/b vaccine licensed to Serum Institute of India arrived in Ghana last month.
On March 1, 2021, the president and other leading stakeholders in Ghana took the vaccines. This therefore means that we need to avail ourselves when the Vaccines arrive in the Savannah region.
Mr Zito added that currently, only 43 districts in Ghana have commenced with the vaccination in three(3) regions. 25 districts in Greater Accra, 16 districts from Ashanti region and two (2) from the Central region.
Thereafter, all the 260 districts in Ghana shall receive the vaccines.
When the time comes for Savannah region everybody should do well to take the vaccines, he pleaded.
Health workers/risk zone workers, security agencies, people with underlining conditions/60 years and above and Persons above 18 years are required to take the vaccines next.
The last badge of people to take the vaccines are pregnant women and persons below the ages of 18 years.
He advised the public not to listen to people who come around saying negative things about the vaccines. Such people are business men and women who use the Covid-19 era to make huge sums of cash. So they do not want to go out of business, hence their resolve to discredit the value of the vaccines.
They come around telling all manner of lies against the vaccines just to remain in business.
The project Coordinator for the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) Community Service, Anuru_yeng Dorcas Akanlugwai said some neighboring countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast have seen some form of serious violence in the recent past which was not good for the people in these countries.
Dorcas Akanlugwai disclosed that the CRS has rolled out a very comprehensive program, that is providing humanitarian activities and support to these violent countries and as well as Ghana to combat violence in the sub region.
“The CRS has held a lot of meetings, forums to maintain peace. One of such forums was done before, during and after the 2020 elections in Ghana and by the grace of God we have experienced a very peaceful elections and still experiencing it. One of the main CRS activities is to bring the youth together to be able to collarborate and collectively take initiatives that will promote peace within Ghana and within the northern zone regions”, she said.
As part of the Community Service Activities and peace, the youth in Damongo proposed to embark on Covid-19 sensitization activities. I entreat all of us to come together to fight this disease. All tribes, religious men and women and stakeholders must join the fight against Covid-19 because it is a security threat to our lives.
Let’s work together to promote the acceptance of the vaccines, promote peace in our communities and the country. This will lead to better growth and development in our country.
Miss Shamsia Evita Mahama lamented that protocols are not been adhered to enough by the public. To her, the number of people wearing the face masks in the area is not encouraging and this could be dangerous for the health of the people.
Shamsia Evita Mahama asked the public to accept and get themselves vaccinated when the vaccines finally get here.
March 8 every year is International Womens Day, day set aside to celebrate women globally.
Shamsia Evita urged all mothers and women to care more for humanity to maintain the love, peace and togetherness. She advised all women to spend much time in caring for the children, so that they grow to become responsible adults.
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