A partnership intervention pilot project report has underscored the need for effective community mobilization to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the people.
Through mobilization, many stakeholders including chiefs, religious leaders, heads of schools and market leaders could effectively be equipped to raise awareness and champion education on the pandemic.
The project dubbed “Partnership to Accelerate Covid-19 Testing in Africa (PACT), which ran from May 2021 to January 2022, involved intensive community sensitization on the various preventive protocols, testing and vaccination.
The project was executed by the Millennium Promise Alliance together with Young Health Advocates Ghana and National Association of Persons living with HIV, with funding from the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
It was also aimed at linking testing with treatment, reducing stigma and addressing vaccine hesitancy in a bid to complement government’s activities in reducing community spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The PACT was implemented in six countries in Africa, whereas six districts and municipalities were selected for piloting in Ghana.
In Ashanti Region, it was piloted in the Oforikrom Municipality, Amansie South and Sekyere Central Districts.
Mr Justin Afari, Ashanti Regional Representative for Young Health Advocates Ghana at a close-out meeting at Nsuta in the Sekyere central District, noted that similar challenges popped up in the cause of the project roll out in all the districts.
The challenges, he explained, were attributable to low community mobilization, and added that the immediate community members were good influencers on the masses and could easily guide the people to take up tasks.
Challenges spanned from inadequate education on vaccine information, myths and misconceptions about COVID-19, members in farming communities not showing up to education meetings, to hesitancy for vaccination.
However, at the end of the pilot programme, there was improvement in adherence to Covid-19 protocols, vaccine acceptance, as well as reduction in myths and misconceptions of the virus.
Mr Afari citing Kwabenaso, a community in the Amansie South District, said the people were horrified whenever vaccination was mentioned, but due to continuous announcements and education on the vaccine, the people got encouraged and that made them open up for vaccines.
Again, pupils in various schools in the Abiram community in the district, shared knowledge on the vaccines with their parents and encouraged them to take the shots.
