Since December when Covid-19 was reported in Wuhan, China, the whole world has been on tenterhooks. Ghana is certainly no exception.
In March, President Akufo-Addo announced to the nation, a number of measures to combat Covid-19 which had by then been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to WHO, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus with most people who fall sick with COVID-19 experiencing mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment.
HOW IT SPREADS
WHO says ”the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air, and quickly fall on floors or surfaces,” adding that, “You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within close proximity of someone who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then your eyes, nose or mouth.”
They included a partial lockdown of Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi metropolis, Kasoa and Tema and a ban on all social gatherings including schools, churches and funerals. The lockdown lasted for six weeks and although it is lifted now, life in these areas has not returned to normal.
The current numbers are 2,074 with Greater Accra accounting for the highest number of 1,795, Ahanti Region with 99, Eastern Region, 70; Central Region, 21; Oti Region, 19; Upper East Region, 19; Volta Region, 16; Upper West Region, 10; Western Region, 9 and Western North, 1. The Savannah, Bono, Ahafo and Bono East Regions so far have recorded no cases.
Of these numbers, we have recorded 212 recoveries and 17 deaths with 62% being male and 38% being female.
Since it isn’t clear when the ban on social gatherings will be lifted, parents and children are in a quandary as to when and if the impending SSSCE organized by WAEC will happen. Meanwhile religious leaders and their followers are also wondering when they can be allowed to fellowship again.
The situation on the continent isn’t much different. South Africa is commencing a gradual lifting of the lockdown it imposed this weekend and many other African countries have differing levels of lockdowns.
The good news from Africa is that in Madagascar, the government has approved a herbal brew as a cure for the virus and from the numbers coming from Madagascar, there’s every indication that the medication is working.
It’s against this backdrop that there have been calls for Ghana to task institutions like the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CMPR), Traditional and Alternative Medicines Directorate (TAMD), Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine (GHAFTRAM) plus the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to be up and doing to come up with local remedies for Covid-19.
Experts believe with the successes traditional medicine has been chalking in the treatment of a variety of diseases included the dreaded HIV, it shouldn’t be beyond our traditional medicine to deal with the virus.
To achieve this, there’s the need for close collaboration between our research facilities and our traditional medicine practitioners.
In an article, the Financial Times applauds Africa’s efforts in combating the virus so far and expresses the hope that the measures African leaders are taking will curtail the spread of the virus here. Another positive indication in the article is the youthful age of Africa which the paper says could be a positive factor contributing to the relatively low rate of infection in Africa.
Africa’s tally stands at 36, 847 infections with 12,071 recoveries and 1,589 deaths. On a global scale, the current count for infections is 3,190,000 with 973,000 recovered and 228,000 deaths.
As we wind up the first half of the year, it is expected that the second half of the year will see relief for humanity considering the feverish pace at which research into the vaccines to cure the victims of the pandemic.
The most important thing is to ensure that we keep healthy by observing the protocols proposed by the government and the WHO.
Ghana will be healthy again.
