London, March 1, 2021 (AltAfrica)-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has kept to his word and led the way by publicly taking the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine.

This process, aired live on TV, had the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira Bawumia, also take their jabs.

RELATED: GHANA TO ADMINISTER CORONAVIRUS VACCINES FREE IN ALL HOSPITALS AS VP TAKES FIRST SHOT

The president received his jab at the 37 Military Hospital stating earlier that “I decided to take it [the vaccine] publicly to clear all doubts and urge everyone to also accept the vaccine.”

He continued that, “It’s important to state that this vaccine is safe by being the first to have it. So everybody in Ghana should feel comfortable about taking the vaccine. It is important that everybody at the end of the day is vaccinated. That is our objective.”

President Akufo-Addo also used the occasion to thank the COVAX Facility the 600,000 doses of the vaccine that it had given to Ghana while urging Ghanaians not to let their guards down in the fight against the virus.

“All the other protocols remain in place until we are satisfied that the virus finally disappears from Ghana,” he added.

As part of his address on Sunday, February 28, 2021, the president noted that he would lead by example to take the shot to allay the fears and scepticism by Ghanaians toward the vaccine.

Ghana acquired 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India on Wednesday, February 24, becoming the first African country to do so.

The roll-out of the vaccination will be conducted in forty-three (43) districts, which are the epicentres of the pandemic in the country. They are twenty-five (25) in Greater Accra, sixteen (16) in Ashanti, and two (2) in the Central Region.

Designated persons to take the vaccine will begin the exercise on Tuesday, March 2.