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A member of the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Standard Treatment Guidelines Committee,Dr Radha Maria Hackman, has said Ghana is yet to record a new variant of COVID-19.
Speaking with Nana Yaa Mensah on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday, Dr Hackman, however, said she will not be surprised if the country detects a new variant in the new cases.
“Noguchi is looking for it, they are sequencing the virus. They haven’t found a new strain yet. But I won’t be surprised if it’s out there somewhere. They are working hard, they are sequencing and as soon as they find it, they will let us know,” Dr Hackman remarked.
She added: “I don’t think they are sequencing on every sample, but I believe they are working on it and they might have a method.”
Some countries such as South Africa have recorded a new strain of COVID-19 virus causing fear amongst some countries on the continent.
President Cyril Ramaphosa extended coronavirus restrictions in the country Monday, citing a “massive increase” in COVID-19 cases driven by a variant discovered there last year.
Ghana has nonetheless seen a spike in the numbers of infected persons with many blaming the surge on disregard to the adherence of COVID-19 safety protocols during the festive season.
Dr Hackman stressed on the need to vary the strategy for educating the public on strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols, especially as schools resumes.
She said education on strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols must be more creative now to catch the attention of children ahead of reopening of schools.
“People get tired of hearing the same things over and over again. So, maybe we need to say the same thing to them in a different way, we need to change our approach, and the other thing is that it is difficult when you are told to socially distance from people, don’t hug people,” the General Practitioner said.
“These are very normal human feelings you know, human beings are social animals and there is the need to be with people, interact with other people, so it is only so long before people can bear the isolation, so it is understandable,” she observed.
Case update
Ghana’s active case count of COVID-19 has shot up marginally to 1,261, according to latest figures from the Ghana Health Service.
The total number of confirmed cases stands at 56, 230 after the Ghana Health Service recorded an additional 193 new cases from the laboratories as at 7 January 2021. So far, 54, 631 persons have recovered and have been discharged. The death toll stands at 338.
Source: Asaaseradio-Accra
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