Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, will appear before Parliament today, Tuesday, July 1, to provide an update on the resurgence of COVID-19 in the country.

Parliament's invitation is a response to the recent discovery of the coronavirus disease by the Health Services Directorate of the University of Ghana (UG).

In light of this, the Health Services Directorate has reactivated its COVID-19 Response Protocols, including screening and triage measures at health facilities.

Subsequently, all staff, students, and visitors are strongly advised to remain vigilant and strictly adhere to recommended preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection and community spread.

The preventive measures include wearing face masks properly, especially in enclosed or crowded spaces, and washing hands frequently with soap under running water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

But the Head of Biology at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), Professor Kofi Bonnie, has indicated that the virus is not only on the UG campus but across several regions of the country.

“It is not a localised resurgence. In fact, we have other regions reporting. So, if the university has come out with a circular cautioning the community in the university and its environs, it’s not just for us. I think the nation should take it up—everybody—especially during this time of the year,” he added.

He has called on the government to take proactive measures to prevent a potential surge in infections.

“It is not a localised resurgence. In fact, we have other regions reporting,” he said.

“So, if the university has come out with a circular cautioning the community in the university and its environs, it’s not just for us. I think the nation should take it up—everybody—especially during this time of the year,” he added.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. It usually spreads between people in close contact.

COVID-19 vaccines provide strong protection against severe illness and death. Although a person can still get COVID-19 after vaccination, they are more likely to have mild or no symptoms.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 symptoms typically appear 5 to 6 days after exposure and can last between 1 and 14 days, ranging from common symptoms like fever, chills, and sore throat to less common ones such as muscle aches, severe fatigue, nasal congestion, headache, sore eyes, dizziness, a persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, hoarseness, numbness, appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, altered taste or smell, and difficulty sleeping.

In 2020, COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency of international concern. In March of the period in question, Ghana recorded its first case.

In May 2023, the UN World Health Organization declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency, stressing that it does not mean the disease is no longer a global threat.

According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), significant portions of the population remain either partially vaccinated or unvaccinated, posing ongoing vulnerability to the disease.

In July 2024, the GHS initiated a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign where it administered 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all individuals aged 18 years and above, intensifying efforts to bolster vaccination rates.

According to data provided by the UN WHO, Europe recorded the highest number of confirmed cases, approaching 300 million, whereas Africa recorded the least. The highest number of deaths, exceeding 2.5 million, was recorded in Europe. Africa recorded the least number of death cases.

Meanwhile, Professor Kofi Bonnie has warned that the rainy season could trigger the resurgence of COVID-19. Speaking to Joy News, the virologist explained that influenza-like illnesses surge during rainy days.