PHOTO: Min. Kemayah kicking off the process
Monrovia– Liberian Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., has led an array of high government officials and members of the diplomatic corps to take the first dose of the AstraZeneca jab of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, May 6, 2021, a Foreign Ministry press release says.
The jab was given to the officials at the Fury of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Kemaya said he is pleased to add to the number of Liberians and other nationals who had taken the first dose of the vaccine.
Minutes after taking his vaccine, Minister Kemayah assured the general public that the vaccine is very much safe and worthy to be taken, noting that he felt relief, in a sense that he had gotten assistance to fight COVID-19.
Minister Kemayah said even though taking the vaccine does not mean he will be complacent, or take the health protocol lightly but will ahead to the health protocols more, stating that it is important that the government create the awareness so that all of those who are in the confirm of the territory limit as a country, seize the opportunity of doing so.
For his part, Dr. Peter Clement, WHO Country Representative for Liberia, said it took leadership on the part of President George Manneh Weah for Liberia to reach this far as it relate to the COVID-19 fight, noting that they cannot fight COVID-19 individually but as a team and it require partnership and solidarities, “Liberia is making tremendous progress”.
Dr. Clement said it is important to continue adherence to public health preventive measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 even after you are fully vaccinated, saying that in the future the demand for the vaccine will be very high because of the movement of people.
The WHO boss said that what happened today for the Liberian Foreign Minister to take his vaccine in the presence of the media is a huge step forward in ending this pandemic.
The Honorable Minister of Health, Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah used the occasion to reveal that in the not too distant future travelers will be required to have a COVID-19 passport and called on all Liberians to take advantage of the opportunity to be vaccinated soon.
The government of Liberia on March 5, 2021 received 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, through the COVAX facility and April 1, 2021, joined many countries to officially launch the vaccination campaign against COVID-19.
Ambassadors, representative of other development partners, dignitaries, the media were present during the vaccination taking ceremony.