Prof. Gordon Awandare, Director of West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens has disclosed that there is cause for concerns over the surge in Covid-19 cases at the country’s testing centres.
According to him, the number of positive cases recorded daily is worrying and warned of another wave next year if proactive steps are not taken by the appropriate authorities to check this year’s Christmas celebrations.
“We need to take some steps because the rate at which the cases are rising, you can imagine that after the holidays, we are going to have a huge surge in our hands. So, we have to take some steps… If you go to the testing labs, the number of positive cases they are finding is increasing every day. That tells you that we are in the midst of a surge.”
Prof. Gordon Awandare
To curtail the rise in cases, Professor Awandare called for on-site testing as part of measures to combat the virus. He explained that the country needs to make rapid antigen test available for screening people before they go into these programs.
“If people want to go, they need to go earlier, get tested and they will be let in. If you are positive, you cannot get in”.
Prof. Gordon Awandare
Door-to-door vaccination in Kintampo
Meanwhile, the Kintampo Municipal North Health Directorate has embarked on a door-to-door vaccination exercise to have more people receive the jabs.
Municipal Director of Health Services, Dr Collins Boateng, revealed that the move is an attempt to achieve the municipality’s quest to ensure targeted population are vaccinated.
“Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in 2021, Municipal Health Directorate employed numerous strategies to curb the rising numbers, but we are not there yet. I promise to attain 75% of our target population that must be vaccinated by the end of the first quarter of 2022 with your support and hard work. It was clearly a challenge in the beginning as people were not turning up for the vaccination. So, my staff, together with me, used a strategy where we had to do house-to-house vaccination strategy… to arrive at these great figures”.
Dr Collins Boateng
The country’s Covid-19 death toll currently stands at 1,265, with active cases currently at 2, 428 according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS). As at December 20, 2021, total vaccine doses administered stands at 6,924,267. Persons receiving at least one dose number about 5, 181, 763, with fully vaccinated persons representing some 10% (2, 005, 844).
Also, new cases have shot up as some 437 individuals have contracted the virus. These cases were recorded in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions as well as the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Ghana has experienced two waves of the Covid-19 pandemic this year following the Christmas festivities last year. Currently, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has begun vaccinating individuals in schools, churches, lorry stations among others to prevent another surge in 2022.
READ ALSO: Prof. Gordon Awandare, Director of West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens
