The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has blamed recent hall week celebrations for the COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Ghana.
Presenting a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, July 1, the Minister said while COVID-19 is no longer regarded as a global health emergency, it has not disappeared and is expected to flare up occasionally, especially during certain seasons.
“In recent weeks, our national disease surveillance system detected an increase in cases at the University of Ghana. These cases have been traced to a familiar variant, the Omicron sub-variant which we have managed before. It spreads easily, but fortunately, it usually causes mild illness,” he stated.
He explained that the cases were detected through Ghana’s influenza surveillance system and confirmed by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
“Mr. Speaker, after sending in a team to investigate, we found a few key issues that fuelled the spread. The most significant factor was the recent Hall Week celebrations held at the University. These events brought large crowds together, with little use of face masks or distancing,” he said.
The Minister added that following investigations even after the University community became aware, they also noticed a drop in adherence to basic COVID-19 safety protocols and some challenges with contact tracing.
As of July 1, there were 316 suspected cases (people who showed symptoms and were tested) at the University of Ghana, out of which 107 have been confirmed as COVID-19. However, there are no hospitalisations and no deaths, and all confirmed cases are recovering well.
He assured Parliament that the outbreak is limited to the University community and has not spread widely to other parts of Accra or the rest of the country.
The Minister said government moved quickly to respond by sending a national team to work with University and municipal health authorities, holding meetings with the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, heads of Noguchi and the School of Public Health, issuing alerts to all health facilities nationwide, suspending all hall week activities, and launching a campus-wide education campaign using posters, campus radio, and student leaders.
He concluded that while COVID-19 is not over, there is no cause for panic, and called on all Ghanaians to remain vigilant and adhere to safety protocols.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Emmanuel Mensah
