GMA expresses concerns over upsurge in Ghana’s COVID-19 cases

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA), has expressed concern about the current trend of positive COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Association says it fears that the country’s health system will not be able to accommodate the rising cases should the trend continue.

The General Secretary of the GMA, Dr. Justice Yankson, in an interview on Eyewitness News said Ghana’s best bet is to strictly comply with the COVID-19 preventive protocols especially as very few people have been vaccinated.

“It is not a good trend at all. Hitherto, some areas in Ghana that were not recording cases are now recording cases. Unfortunately, the level of healthcare in some areas are not even like Accra and if we don’t take care, and we get the numbers as we have in Accra, then we are going to have a tough time because even in Accra where there are a lot more health facilities, we all know what happens when the numbers begin to go up,” he said.

Dr. Yankson added that, “our only remedy is the preventive way, and that is strict adherence and enforcement of the COVID protocols as we know. That is our only bet now, else the non-covid cases [in hospitals] are going to suffer as the COVID cases also go up.”

On calls for the government to impose some level of lockdown to curtail the spread of the virus, Dr. Yankson said while a lockdown is an option that can be considered, it must only be imposed when there are plans to intensify contact-tracing, testing, isolation and treatment of cases.

“There is always a place in this whole management approach for lockdown, but the most important thing is, what do you do when you declare a lockdown? There are certain scientific principles that should go with the lockdown,” he noted.

The month of July has seen Ghana’s COVID-19 case count rising significantly, with more than 2,500 new cases recorded.

The development has sparked concerns about a looming third wave of COVID-19 in Ghana.

The Ashanti and Bono regional directorates of the Ghana Health Service have expressed worry about the astronomical increase in cases in their regions.

The government has urged the public to strictly comply with the COVID-19 preventive protocols, and indicated that it is working to secure more vaccines to vaccinate all citizens.