Accra, Ghana//-The Trade Union Congress of Ghana (TUC) has urged its members particularly those in the informal sector to get vaccinated against the corona virus disease (COVID-19) saying their health benefit is essential to their general well-being.
It is against this background that TUC have targeted between 500 and 1,000 of its Union of Informal Workers Association (UNIWA) in Accra and other parts of the country to educate them on the need to protect themselves against the disease which has claimed thousands of lives across the country.
Addressing members of the Association at a sensitisation forum in Accra, the Secretary General of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah said 90 percent of the country’s workforce comprises of informal workers thus it is prudent to bring the education closer to their working jurisdiction.
According to Dr Baah, the primary purpose of the forum is to have a clearer understanding of the essence of the vaccination and explained that it is meant to boost the immune system of humans against the virus, adding that health plays a significance in daily life, works and other activities.
A facilitator and medical doctor with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Dominic Nartey dispelled myths surrounding the vaccines that it creates infertility, a medical drug on experimental basis, impotent, among others and said the rumour have created anxiety among people and have further discouraged people for the vaccination exercise.
He said the vaccines have been scientifically proven and its efficacy have been endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and pointed out that it is safe and effective hence participants as well as members be vaccinated to have maximum protection against the disease.
Dr.Nartey added that the vaccine is an immune booster which keeps the body healthy and fights the virus when one is infected and explained again that a vaccinated person stands a higher chance of survival than the one who has not been vaccinated.
He however commended participants for the massive attendance and urged them to be ambassadors of the COVID-19, saying it is a collective effort to spread the education on the virus and the surest way to curb its spread.
He therefore urged participants to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 protocols by washing their hands under running water, sanitize their hands, wear nose masks and observe social distancing at all times.
UNIWA was established in the year 2013 and the first national trade union for workers in the informal sector.
By Ben Laryea, African Eye Report
