President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed fears over the increasing active cases of COVID-19 in the country.
He says, what seems to be a second wave of the infections suggests the country appears to be letting its guards down by breaching the COVID-19 safety protocols.
In his 19th address to the nation, President Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians to collectivize efforts in order not to water down government’s enhanced measures to minimize the rate of the spread
“Our observation, however, is that the reduction in compliance with the preventive protocols accounts for the increases in infections. Fellow Ghanaians, it appears that we are letting our guards down. Now more than ever we have to adhere to mask-wearing, handwashing, use of sanitizers and social distancing protocols“.
To this end, President Akufo-Addo says government as part of measures to arrest this new threat of rising infections will begin focusing on tracing, testing and treatment of the virus.
“In order to help arrest this new threat of rising infections, Government is going to reaffirm the steps that have served us well so far. We are enhancing the measures of tracing, testing and treatment, i.e. the 3Ts. In addition to this, we will continue to limit the importation of the virus, embark on the strategic, controlled easing of public gatherings, enhance public education and information, and continue to provide relief and support to individuals, families and businesses”, he added.
Case count
Meanwhile, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Ghana has crossed the 1000th mark again per the latest figures from health authorities.
President Akufo-Addo indicated that the case count was 1,139 as of Friday, November 6, 2020.
320 persons have also succumbed to the virus in Ghana.
“In recent weeks, however, we have observed a gradual change in the trajectory of the virus, with an increase in active cases from the 398 cases recorded three weeks ago, to 1,139 active cases, as at Friday, 6th November 2020. The total number of deaths now stands at 320, a great majority of them, still, with underlying illnesses, such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic liver disease and asthma”, the President said.
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%.