An Associate Professor at the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Richmond Aryeetey, is calling for robust testing across all schools in Ghana to ascertain the level of spread of the coronavirus.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced that 135 students and staff of the Achimota School have tested positive for the COVID – 19 after screening 550 students and staff.
Two regions – Greater Accra Region and the Eastern Region – have recorded 48 active cases with one school recording 46 cases.
According to Prof Aryeetey, Ghana should get ahead of the curve otherwise it will witness a recurrence of what the country experienced last year in December and January.
“What kind of active surveillance is in place if we have started detecting? If we have started seeing these in schools, what is the plan in terms of active case searching? I didn’t see any plan to do robust testing in schools,” he stated to host of the Sunrise morning show on 3FM Alfred Ocansey .
He said it would be a mistake if the country considers cases as only prevalent in the Achimota School.
The professor is, therefore, warning the country could be heading into a 3rd wave if drastic measures are not immediately put in place.
He attributed the lapses in the COVID-19 fight to leadership.
“Leadership is the main thing at this point. Our problem is leadership. The scientific community will do their best but everything boils down to leadership. The ball now is in the court of GHS to know how to go about it.”
He called for measures to address the current state the country finds itself in.
“There are low hanging fruits to address this; Wearing of masks; Observe hand washing and Not getting too close to each other. It could be much -much more spread than we know now. We had something right going on but we have abandoned it. If the central government is not doing the right things for us why can’t the assemblies take this up.”
He also warned Ghana needs to be careful not to see cases going so high so as to overwhelm the hospitals.
