New Juaben King Analyses Eastern Region’s Covid-19 Performance In Scientific Masterpiece

The King of New Juaben, Daasebre Prof. (Emeritus) Oti Boateng, has provided an impact assessment of the Covid-19 pandemic on the various regions, pointing out that the Eastern Region has fared relatively better because of strategic collaboration that helped rally the people.

The analysis which is contained in an article that Prof. Oti Boateng, a Medical Doctor by Profession wrote on the regional impact of the Covid-19 points out that the Eastern Region has the third-largest population in Ghana and is closer to Greater Accra, which is the epicentre of the coronavirus disease in Ghana, however, the Region is among the three least impacted by the virus.

This, he points out, is because the New Juaben Traditional area which encompasses the regional capital, Koforidua and has a population of over 1million, had its traditional leaders, collaborating with the two Municipal Assemblies in the area and the Root-Based Institute to rally a response.

“…The remarkable results of the Eastern Region as the second-best in terms of COVID-19 impact measurement is attributable, to a large extent, on the initiation of the Root-based Development (RBD) which facilitated a rare cooperation and collaboration between the Traditional Council, the two Municipal Assemblies and the Root-based Institutions (RBI) in the Traditional Area. Relentless efforts were made by these three institutions to check the spread of COVID-19 in the Traditional Area which reflected on the entire Region,” Daasebre wrote.

He added that “the RBI members, who formed a volunteer group, disseminated the vital information on the need to observe COVID-19 safety protocols in their respective communities. They were also able to mobilise funds from citizens and residents in New Juaben which were used to purchase face masks and sanitizers that were distributed to the vulnerable and needy citizens in the various communities. ”

In Prof. Oti Boateng’s analysis, twenty-two (22) data sets on the pandemic were collected from the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health, from 15th April to 31st July 2020.  Each data set included the number of new COVID-19 cases, total confirmed cases, deaths, recoveries/discharged, active cases, regional and gender distributions.

According to the Omanhene of New Juaben, the data sets led to the development of a methodology to measure the impact of COVID-19 on these regions using the concepts of the ratio of proportionality and percentage point differentials.