In an interview with Citi News, Dr Franklin Asiedu Bekoe, Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), emphasised that the occurrence of new cases is a clear indication that COVID-19 is still a threat.

He urged individuals to remain vigilant, especially in settings with poor ventilation, and recommended the use of masks.

Dr. Bekoe stressed the ongoing importance of handwashing with soap and water as a critical intervention in preventing the spread of the virus.

“The occurrence of these new cases is surprising. For us, it depends on the fact that Covid-19 is not gone yet. So what is happening is that we are getting a few cases being reported in some parts of Accra and a few in other regions.

“If you are in a location where the ventilation is poor, for instance in your office and you realise that the size isn’t big enough and is enclosed and you have poor ventilation, then I think that what we suggest is to get a mask particularly whereby your colleagues are sneezing and coughing. We are stressing that this handwashing with soap and running water has never ended, it’s a very positive intervention.”

Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme of Immunisation at GHS, echoed Dr Bekoye’s sentiments, noting that the easing of restrictions and the classification of COVID-19 as no longer a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) does not signify the end of the disease.

He cautioned against complacency, stating that maintaining vigilance and adherence to safety protocols is crucial to preventing a resurgence of the virus.

“A lot of people think that with the easing of restrictions by the government, and the announcement by WHO that Covid is no more a public health emergency international concern, they think that the disease is no more, that’s not what it meant.

“Simply put we can capture that the occurrence of the disease, the death it was causing and the havoc it was wrecking on the population or global level has really come down and so our response to it has also de-escalated. But when we renege or lose guard of what we were doing previously to ensure that the incidence came down, if we lose guard on them, then the disease can surge again.”