A group of highly specialized medical practitioners has petitioned government to rescind the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination with immediate effect.

According to the Concerned Ghanaian Doctors, there are potential dangers associated with the jabs currently being administered in the country, hence the attempt to prevent the imposition of the Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

In a petition dated January 10, the Group said, “being a novel virus, many of these measures, protocols and tactics have been, at best, educated guesses at fighting a virus of which we are still learning. Vaccines have been touted as our most recent and best tool at winning this war.

"However, we disagree with the strategy of banking all our hopes on these vaccines and directly or indirectly coercing Ghanaians to go for inoculations against this novel coronavirus disease which, as previously stated, we are still learning about.

"We, as Concerned Ghanaian Doctors, are writing to you requesting all forms of mandates across the country requiring proof of vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines be rescinded with immediate effect and a pause in the vaccine roll out,” part of the petition dated January 10 read.

Last week, many public institutions began denying unvaccinated people access to their premises in enforcement of government’s no-vaccination-no-entry policy.

But the group, Concerned Ghanaian Doctors, with some of its members drawn from Ghana’s Covid-19 case management teams, are opposing the move citing among others, the safety and efficacy of the jabs.

According to the group, the vaccines do not prevent infection or spread, adding that “recent studies show that the vaccinated are becoming more relevant in the spread of COVID-19.”

“Many studies show outbreaks within fully vaccinated populations. Other studies show vaccinated populations as sources for outbreaks. Over the last few months of 2021, the assertion that these COVID vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalization and death has been shown to be inaccurate as well,” they added.

The group stated that countries like UK and Israel with highly vaccinated population are currently “struggling to get the virus under control especially with the new variants.”

They also cited a number of deaths recorded in parts of the world where the population are fully vaccinated.

“There are examples of this in other parts of the world. In the state of Vermont, USA, it has been shown that 79% of deaths in September, 2021 were among fully vaccinated individuals (10). Over the month of September last year, in the UK, approximately 79% of COVID deaths were among fully vaccinated individuals as well (11).

"There are even schools of thought that theorize that the vaccinated are the main drivers of the pandemic (12) (13). Reports from some colleagues at one of the nation's leading COVID-19 treatment centres show that, of the 25 patients that were on admission from the 13th of December, 2021 to 3rd January, 2022, 20 of them were vaccinated. Currently, out of the 8 patients who are on admission, 6 are fully vaccinated,” the Concerned Ghanaian Doctors observed.

The group recommended for Ghana and Africa to be allowed to lead the world in the fight against the Virus.

This they said is because, "all the relevant metrics show that Ghana and Africa at large, have done better than most of the world with respect to the pandemic even before the advent of these vaccines. It is possible the rest of the world are rather to learn from us."

They also suggested for government to consider a "further research into locally made remedies and treatments for COVID-19."

"The treatment guidelines that the Ghana Health Service put together for the treatment of COVID-19 seem to have really been effective, enabling most of the peripheral hospitals to treat COVID-19 positive cases," they said.