| Virologists are warning that the latest Indian variant of the SARS-COV-2 that causes COVID-19 may spike death tolls in Ghana as it has now been confirmed to be circulating among residents.Dr. Michael Owusu, a virologist at the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) has confirmed the grim forcaste for Ghana’s COVID-19 potential casualties. According to the virologist, the Delta strain would potentially increase the number of deaths and hospitalizations in the country as opposed to the earlier variants detected in Ghana. He pointed out that the Alpha variant resulted in several deaths and hospitalizations in the country but the new Delta strain should be prevented from spreading among the populace to prevent more deaths. Dr. Owusu said the number of people vaccinated so far are less than 1% of the population, hence the new strain should not be encouraged to run through the system. “If you look across countries like India, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Namibia, they are struggling. Some are begging for oxygen to be delivered to their facilities to manage their cases and we cannot allow that to happen,” he pointed out. “If you have monitored these viruses, the Alpha virus resulted in some number of deaths and hospitalizations in Ghana but if the Delta is allowed to run through the country, it is likely we will increase the number of deaths and hospitalizations. Because the number of people vaccinated is less than 1% so large people are still susceptible, therefore we shouldn’t do things that will encourage this strain to run through the system.”Meanwhile, President Akufo Addo himself, his Vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumiah, Chief Justice Kwasi Anim Yeboah among top-ranking government officials have been cited for criminal breaches of COVID-19 regulations when they and some 1000 other mourners threw caution to the wind a few weeks ago to attend the funeral of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John).Sir John, who was the former General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) had died of COVID-19. Dr. Owusu entreated the government to ensure that the general populace strictly follows the COVID-19 safety protocols because once herd immunity has not been attained, the country is still susceptible to this new strain that the World Health Organization(WHO) has described as “a variant of global concern” because of its fast and widespread nature. |