Health News of Friday, 10 December 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-12-10Coronavirus: GHS reviews safety protocols for international travellers ahead of Xmas
International travellers coming through the KIA will adhere to reviewed protocols
Ghana records new Omicron variant of Coronavirus
Kotoka International Airport recorded cases of Coronavirus rising
Majority of recorded cases at KIA unvaccinated
The Ghana Health Service has reviewed safety protocols for international travellers coming into the country.
This, according to
Read full articlea statement from the Service, is coming ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities, seeing that a lot of travellers are expected to be in the country.
Already, the statement said, the Kotoka International Airport has been seeing a surge in the number of cases of the novel Coronavirus it is reporting.
“There has been a decline in the number of Covid-19 cases in Ghana over the past two months until the global picture of COVID-19 changed since early November 2021. Globally several countries are experiencing their fourth wave.
“A number of travellers from these countries come to Ghana and this is expected to increase during the festive season. This current surge in COVID-19 cases is being reflected at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). In November 2020, 168 cases were detected compared to 241 cases in November 2021, an increase of over 40%. We have since been recording an average of 20 positive cases a day at KIA,” the statement said.
Signed by the Director-General of the GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, it said that with Ghana having recorded cases of the new variant of the virus, the Omicron variant, there is the need for the country to tighten its safety protocols to avert further spreads.
“For these positive cases, there is a significant difference in the percentage of COVID-19 infection based on vaccination status recorded at KIA. Available data from KIA, show that a COVID-19 positive person is three times more likely to be unvaccinated. The new variant, Omicron which is said to be more transmissible has been detected at our airport.
“Of the 34 cases detected, 75% of them were unvaccinated. Over the last two weeks, cases from airport account for about 60% of the total cases recorded in the country. The current increase in cases together with the detection of the Omicron variant among international arrivals and the expected increase during the festive season calls for urgent actions to prevent a major surge in COVID-19 cases in Ghana,” he wrote.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye further explained the new directives for international travellers coming into the country, including the provision of evidence of full vaccination for a Coronavirus vaccine on arrival.
See the full statement below:
