In a brief communication on the strain, the Team indicated that its testing observations have also revealed that transmission of the new variant is directly linked to shedding of the virus in droplets during sneezing and coughing, “which also determines the spread through talking, singing and other related activities”.
Since the recording of the new strain, Ghana’s confirmed cases have shot up astronomically.
From 90,000-plus cases in April, the total confirmed cases are currently over 101,000.
Recoveries and discharges have slowed as a result of the viral loads of the new variant.
“It has been observed that the positive individuals are taking longer to clear the virus,” the Response Team at NMIMR said in its brief communication dated Saturday, July 24.
It is, therefore, calling on government to take “a second look at the state of adherence to Covid-19 preventive protocols and appropriate restrictions”.
Already, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has hinted of using celebrities and chiefs to help in advocating strongly the wearing of nose masks.
““Some don’t wear the masks, the few that wear the mask put it off…We are going to have a very heightened campaign on promoting and enforcement of the mask wearing,” the Director of Public Health at GHS, Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe,stated on The Keypoints on TV3/3FM on Saturday, July 24.
“Promotion is the use of influencers, the celebrities, the champions, high profile chiefs. The enforcement is going to be done at different levels.”
So far, out of 101,170 coronavirus cases recorded in Ghana since the outbreak of the disease, 96,255 have recovered with 821 fatalities.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana