Dr Frank Serebour
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called on the government to expedite actions to safeguard the country from the impact of the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Association, in a statement jointly signed by the President Dr Frank Serebour, and General Secretary, Dr Titus Beyuo, said the government must secure more Covid-19 vaccines to enable the country reach its herd immunity.
It indicated that the emergence of the new Omicron variant called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders urging the public to get vaccinated.
“It has been gratifying to note the downward trend of active cases of Covid-19 in Ghana that saw us record zero new cases on some days in the past few weeks and we commend all stakeholders for the efforts to achieve this feat,” the statement said.
It also urged the government to continue all efforts at limiting importation of Covid-19 by increased testing at the ports of entry as well as sequencing of all positive cases to enable prompt detection and containment of mutant strains such as the omicron variant.
The statement said with several mutations on the spike protein of the mutant strain, it was still unknown if the new strain may evade immunity acquired from past infection or vaccination.
It said data available from Southern Africa showed that in the Gauteng Province, the R0 (1.93) of the Omicron variant was higher than that of the Delta variant (R0 of 1.47), meaning the new variant may be potentially more infectious than the Delta variant.
Yellow Fever
The Ghana Medical Association touching on the Yellow Fever outbreak announced that 40 persons have died as of November 26, 2021.
The disease which was first detected in the Savanna Region has since spread to 7 other regions.
“We express our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones to this disease,” the Association stated.
It added that the Ministry of Health has put in place adequate measures to contain the outbreak with appropriate case definition, case management, and vaccination measures.
The Association further urged Ghanaians, especially those in the affected areas to avail themselves to be vaccinated against the Yellow Fever disease.
“We urge all persons in Ghana, especially those in the affected areas to cooperate with the ongoing vaccination exercise and report any suspected cases (the development of fever and yellowing of eyes within 14 days of the fever) to the nearest health facility for appropriate diagnosis and management,” the Association stated.
“We commend the tremendous efforts by our public health physicians and all health workers who are braving the odds to help the nation combat the current outbreak,” it concluded.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri