At least ten people have died from COVID-19 in the past two weeks within the Kumasi metropolis of the Ashanti Region, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has confirmed.
A statement issued and signed by the public relations officer of the KMA, Henrietta Aboagye, said the region has so far recorded 200 cases in the past fortnight following the upsurge in COVID-19 cases.
“From 1 July to 13 July 2021 health facilities within the Metropolis have recorded over 200 infection cases with 10 mortalities occurring at different treatment centres within the Metropolis,” the statement confirmed.
“The upsurge of the new cases in the Metropolis have been mainly attributed to the general disregard for the COVID-19 safety protocols at funerals, parties and other social gatherings,” the statement said.
The metropolitan assembly has therefore appealed to the media to intensify public education on the risks of COVID.
Meanwhile, Samuel Arthur, a community health advocate, is pushing for the tightening of COVID-19 restrictions to help contain the spread of the viral disease in Ghana.
His call reflects rising fears that the country may experience a third wave of the novel coronavirus, following the recent increase in active cases.
Speaking on a local radio station, Arthur said: “Only a couple of weeks ago, I know Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko had a match … Apparently this is the time when this new variant had showed up.
“Now if the variant is that deadly – and from what we are hearing the variant is such that the kind of vaccines we are receiving will not be able to deal adequately with it – then I find it a bit more disturbing why we don’t want to tighten the restrictions and ensure that these protocols actually are adhered to.”
Arthur added: “If the stadiums are opened, funerals are happening, people are congregating, people are meeting, and unfortunately most people are not adhering to the protocols … we want to place our fortunes on luck and luck will not work in this case.”
The community health advocate said the continuous flouting of the COVID-19 protocols at various social gatherings across Ghana calls for a rethink of the approach in tackling the viral disease.
