Government beefs up response to deal with infection upsurge

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the Government has beefed up its response capability and capacity to deal with COVID-19 should Ghana encounter an upsurge in infections.

He said this in a televised national address to the nation on Wednesday, Update number 27, on measures taken against the spread of the Coronavirus in Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo said the country had expanded its healthcare infrastructure with the training of health professionals to care for critically ill patients, including oxygen supply and reach, particularly with respect to testing and treatment centres over the period.

“But our best bet in the fight against the virus remains adhering to the enhanced hygiene, social distancing and mask-wearing protocols, and getting vaccinated,” he said.

The President said a consistent decline in COVID-19 infection rates occurred in the months of October and November and had continued into early December.

He said as on Sunday, 12th December, about 2,042,778 COVID-19 tests had been conducted, out of which 131,911 positive cases were recorded.

The President stated that 129,683 persons had recovered from COVID-19 infections, while the number of active cases stood at 973 with 1,255 COVID-19 recorded.

“The current data suggests quite a favourable COVID situation prevailing in Ghana, and I say this only to encourage each one of us to continue to be vigilant, and adhere to the enhanced hygiene protocols which have served us so well so far,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo three regions – Ashanti, Greater Accra and Volta- had the bulk of infections, seven regions had single-digit infections, and six regions- Ahafo, North East, Oti, Savannah, Upper West and Western North had zero active cases presently.

He stressed the need for all to do everything possible, at the very least, to maintain the situation, especially as the festive season approached.

President Akufo-Addo Addo said international passengers arriving at Kotoka International Airport constituted the highest source of infections in the country, leading Ghana to take drastic measures to prevent the importation of the virus.

“The ravages of COVID-19 have been devastating on our economy, and I am determined to return us to our normal way of life as quickly as possible by helping to defeat the pandemic,” he said.

The President stated that after the start of an impressive vaccination drive in March 2021, Ghana was confronted with vaccine supply constraints and disruptions at the global level.

He said in recent months, the supply situation had improved considerably, and estimated that Ghana would have secured a total of some 26 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year.

The President said as of 14th December, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had taken delivery of 17,736,710 COVID-19 vaccine doses, adding, “We are expecting an additional 8,529,090 doses by the end of the year, we have enough vaccines in the system, so, my fellow Ghanaians, I encourage each and every one of you to take advantage of this, and get vaccinated,”.

He said so far, only 6,420,973 doses out of the 17.7 million doses available in the country had been administered.

“Let me state, as clearly as I can, the vaccines are safe, they will not harm you, they will protect you and your family,” he reiterated, urging the populace to go for the jab.

President Akufo-Addo Addo said contrary to the mischief being peddled by some, getting vaccinated would not cause anyone to vote for the NPP in the 2024 elections, saying, “this is an outrageous claim, vaccination cannot change your political preferences, that is not its purpose.”

He said there were significant quantities of vaccines deployed to every corner of the country and said December had been declared the month of vaccination and that government was rolling out an aggressive vaccination campaign to ensure that many Ghanaians got the opportunity to be vaccinated.