Coronavirus: Ghana to go on another lockdown – GMA hints

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has warned that Ghana is likely to head into another lockdown if the country’s Coronavirus cases continue to rise.

“If we don’t take care of ourselves, and looking at the trajectory, we might have to go back to lockdown but if that can be avoided, why not,” the Deputy General Secretary of the GMA who also doubles as a member of the Infectious Diseases Committee of the Association, Dr Titus Bayuo told Accra-based Starr FM on Monday, November 9, 2020.

“…we are pushing ourselves towards tougher restrictions [i.e. ban on social gatherings, lockdown] and if we get there the political leaders will have no option,” he added.

Dr Bayuo who was commenting on President Akufo-Addo’s latest address to the nation on the government’s handling of the contagion argued that if Ghanaians don’t protect themselves and cases keep going up, “the only way is to get restricted.”

“Is that what we want? If that’s not what we want, then we must act now,” he said.

Meanwhile  a survey conducted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has revealed a sharp decline in the wearing of nose masks.

According to the survey, the number of persons who do not wear nose masks has risen from 18 percent to 72 percent from the month of August to October; while the number wearing the masks correctly has reduced from 44 percent to 10 percent.

Speaking at the COVID-19 press briefing in Accra, the Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, expressed worry about the disregard for the safety protocols.

“You can see that those wearing masks correctly moved from 44% in survey 3 to almost 10%. In some areas, it was as low as five percent but the average was 10%. There were some significant areas where we had about 5% wearing of masks.

“Those not wearing masks at all had increased from 18 percent to 72 percent which is a major worry. And these are all in Accra. I believe that if we are able to get people to wear masks, more people will be wearing it correctly and that will lead to better results.”

The GHS survey comes in the wake of a gradual increase in Ghana’s COVID-19 case count.

Ghana’s COVID-19 case count as of Friday, November 6, 2020, was 1,139.

320 persons have also succumbed to the virus in Ghana.

Additionally, the number of daily infections has risen from an average of 25 new cases per day then, to an average of 130 new cases per day in the course of the last two weeks.

In the Greater Accra region, except for two districts, all districts have reported cases.

An analysis of the active case data suggests that the Greater Accra Region accounts for 75%, with Ashanti, Bono, Eastern and Western being responsible for 16% of active cases.

The remaining 11 Regions make up 4% of the cases, with arrivals at Kotoka International Airport responsible for the other 5%.