Techiman has recorded no positive case of COVID-19 in the past 3 weeks; Municipal Health Director declares & urges all to go for jabs
Dr. Fosuhen Kusi Techiman Municipal Director of Ghana Health Services in the Bono East region has revealed that his area which was a few months back declared as hot spot for the deadly novel Coronavirus has in the past three (3) not recorded any new positive cases.
He disclosed that the total number of COVID-19 deaths remains at 39 in Techiman municipality while active cases had drastically reduced to 10 out of the total cumulative 863 confirmed cases, therefore advising the citizenry to keep religiously adhering to the safety protocols.
Dr. Fosuhen Kusi was speaking in an interview with our correspondent Nana Kwadwo Adu in Techiman about the mass Coronavirus vaccination exercise which began on Monday 27th September at eight (8) centers in Techiman and would be moving around all communities until Friday 1st October 2021 therefore urged everyone to come out and take their jabs while stock lasts.
Dr. Fosuhen Kusi, Techiman municipal health director.
Dr. Fosuhen Kusi, Techiman municipal health director.
Meanwhile, our correspondent Nana Kwadwo Adu visited some vaccination centers in Techiman where many people were seen in cues and ready to take their jobs.
Some residents of Techiman took their COVID-19 vaccines today.
Ghana receives 1.5m doses of AstraZeneca from Germany – COVID-19
Ghana has taken delivery of the 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses promised by the German government.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Mahama Asei Seini, “today received 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the government of Ghana from the German government in support of the fight against COVID-19 in Ghana”, the Ministry of Information announced on Facebook.
The consignment is one of the outcomes of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s recent visit to Germany and negotiations with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Director of Communications at the presidency, Mr. Eugene Arhin, on Monday, 30 August 2021, at the Jubilee House, told the presidential press corps: “The German Chancellor has made it known that, at least, Germany will be helping Africa with 70 million vaccines”.
“The President had a bilateral meeting with the German Chancellor – one of the things that came out was the vaccine”, he said.
“I am happy to inform Ghanaians that the German Chancellor made it known to the President that a total of 1.2 million AstraZeneca vaccines were to be given to Ghana”, Mr. Arhin announced.
Ghana version of 2021 International Literacy Day Celebration held in Techiman with a call on Ghanaians to take advantage of technology in studying and doing business in the midst of COVID-19
The Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) of the Ministry of Education with sponsorship from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other partners have celebrated the Ghana version of annual International Literacy Day in Techiman the Bono East regional capital under the theme, “Complementary education for human development in COVID-19 era, the role of digital literacy”.
In his welcome address, Hon. Kwasi Adu Gyan Bono East regional Minister and former Director-General of the Ghana India Kofi Annan Center of Excellence in ICT revealed that though technology has its negatives, Ghanaians could take advantage of the internet to study and do business to improve upon our livelihoods.
Speaking on behalf of her Boss Minister for Education Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, a Deputy Minister in charge of TVET Hon. Gifty Twum Ampofo (MP for Abuakwa North constituency in the Eastern Region) advised all, especially girls who could not acquire formal education to capitalize on NFED’s programs to become literates in order to be able to achieve something better for themselves.
Hon. Gifty Twum Ampofo, deputy Minister of education in charge of TVET
Hon. Gifty Twum Ampofo, deputy Minister of education
Ghanaians to take advantage of technology in studying and doing business in the midst of COVID-19
Guest Speaker at the function Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi a former Minister for Education and Board Chairman of Public Procurement Authority in his address commended the President Akuffo Addo-led NPP government for the good interventions made in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to salvage our educational system.
Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, NPP National Chairman hopeful and Board Chairman of Public Procurement Authority.
Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi
Later on after the program, Mr. Francis Asumadu acting Executive Director of NFED spoke in an interview with Peace Nana Kwadwo Adu of Techiman.
Mr. Francis Asumadu acting Executive Director of NFED.
Mr. Francis Asumadu acting Executive Director of NFED.
Finally, some girls who had dropped out and given birth but through NFED’s intervention had enrolled back to school also spoke Nana Kwadwo Adu
EU to return ‘Made in Africa’ Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses to Africa
The European Union will return coronavirus vaccination doses produced in Africa and shipped to Europe from the manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a commitment on the sidelines of a conference in Berlin, Strive Masiyiwa, coronavirus commissioner of the African Union, said on Thursday.
Von der Leyen has promised to deliver 200 million additional doses by the end of the year. Around 70 million of them come from Germany.
In Africa, only just under 3 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated, although the continent is currently in the grip of the third wave of infections.
It is estimated that around 1.6 billion doses are required to vaccinate around 60 percent of the population.
The export of vaccine doses produced in South Africa to Europe goes back to an arrangement between Johnson & Johnson and the South African contract manufacturer Aspen.
That has now changed, according to Masiyiwa. Aspen is now producing its own product under a license exclusively for the African market.
A leading expert has warned an easing of restrictions has led Germany to the brink of a third wave. Intensive care doctors warn that partial lockdown measures must be put back in place.
Intensive care doctors say some measures should be put back in place to avoid another resurgence
The number of coronaviruses in Germany grew 20% in the past week, as lockdown restrictions are gradually eased, an expert at the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases (RKI) said Tuesday.
The figures were released as the country’s intensive care doctors warn of the need for an “immediate return” to partial lockdown to avoid a dangerous third wave of coronavirus cases.
“We are exactly on the flank of the third wave. That can no longer be disputed. And, at this point, we have eased the restrictions and that is speeding up the exponential growth,” RKI epidemiologist Dirk Brockmann told German broadcaster ARD.
COVID-19 Cases in Germany Rises
Brockmann said the loosening of measures was particularly unhelpful given the exponential growth that has occurred with the British virus variant B117.
“It has been totally been irrational to loosen up here. It’s just fueling this exponential growth.”
German intensive care doctors on Monday warned that some measures should be put back in place to avoid another resurgence.
“From the data we currently have and with the spread of the British mutation, we would argue strongly to return immediately into a lockdown to avoid a strong third wave,” Christian Karagiannidis, director of Germany’s intensive care register, told broadcaster RBB.
Bawumia shares defining first-term legacies of Akufo-Addo’s government with ICU
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has said that the government of President Akufo-Addo has worked towards the interest of Ghanaians by pursuing progressive and impactful policies.
Addressing delegates at the 11th Quadrennial Conference of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) in Accra on Thursday, August, 26, Dr. Bawumia shared with the worker’s inclusive interventions by the Akufo-Addo government, which he described as defining legacies of the President.
“I will share with you developments which I believe have defined the President’s legacy. These are his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unprecedented financial sector clean-up, the digital transformation of the Ghanaian society, and social interventions,” Dr. Bawumia said.
The Vice President, who recounted the mountain economic and social challenges the Akufo-Addo government inherited from the previous NDC regime, extensively listed how the government’s various interventions have addressed, or mitigated these challenges since 2017.
Prudent Economic Management
The Vice President said, much of the government’s successes have been due to its prudent economic management, which he noted, expanded the economy prior to covid-19.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the President on January 7, 2017, promised to rebuild this country as Ghanaians faced daunting challenges, including declining economic growth, rapidly falling value of the Cedi and constantly rising inflation and interest rates.’
“Three years over the planning period, between 2017 and 2019, the economy recorded significant expansion. Average growth in national output more than doubled from 2.8 percent (2014-2016) to 6.96 percent (2017-2019). The growth of agriculture more than doubled from 2.5 percent to 8.3%.”
“We halted de-industrialization, rebounded manufacturing growth, and expanded job creation. The fiscal deficit declined from 6.8 percent of rebased national output in 2016 to 3.8 percent and 4.8 percent between 2018 and 2019 in that order.”
“Inflation dropped steadily from 15.4 percent at the end of 2016 to 7.9 percent at the end of December 2019.”
Digitization
Another important legacy of the Akufo-Addo government, which the Vice President shared with delegates, is a digitization and its continued impact on society and the Ghanaian economy.
. He said the government’s economic transformational agenda, was underpinned by the creation of digital infrastructure such as digital national identification system, property address system, the inclusion of the non-formal population into the financial sector through mobile money interoperability, amongst many others, whose benefits, he said, are obvious and impacting lives.
Social interventions to reduce suffering
Dr. Bawumia noted that the most important part of prudent economic management and all that government has achieved, is their impacts on the lives of the people, which he said, has been a priority to the Akufo-Addo government.
“While we have not totally eliminated the suffering of Ghanaians and Ghanaian workers, we can point to specific policy interventions that have mitigated the suffering that we talked about,” he said.
The Vice President listed several social interventions including de-freezing of public sector employment, which has led to the recruitment of thousands of nurses and teachers, creation of NABCO to reduce graduate unemployment, expansion of recruitment into the security services.
Others he listed included: restoration of nursing and teacher trainee allowances, employment interventions through the Youth Employment Agency, industrialization through 1D1F, abolition of many taxes, employment opportunities to people with disabilities to man toll booths, Free SHS, government’s covid-19 alleviation packages, among others.
Impact and management of COVID-19
Just like other speakers, Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the economy and Ghanaians, as well as the government’s swift response to the situation to mitigate the impact on Ghanaians and businesses.
“The country has clearly and unequivocally made strides in inclusive growth. All these strides were made before the destructive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020,” the Vice President said.
“The severe, debilitating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the day-to-day lives of Ghanaian workers, most especially on industrial workers, cannot be overemphasized.”
“The worldwide debilitating effects of the pandemic included disruptions to supply chains in production, economic slowdown, uncertain demand in markets, and the loss of jobs and livelihoods. There has been a dramatic increase in shipping costs globally. For example, the price of shipping goods from Asia to Europe increased from $2000 per container in August 2020 to $12000 per container in August 2021 with its attendant impact on prices of goods (such as cement iron rods, etc.) globally.”
The government responded swiftly. Through the implementation of the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP):
The government increased COVID-19 testing facilities from the initial (2) to sixteen (16) and equipped several hospitals across the country with the capacity to test for COVID-19;
Government-subsidized electricity consumption for 4,772,512 customers from April 2020 to March 2021. Electricity consumption for 1,620,907 lifeline customers was fully covered while the consumption of other customers was subsidized by 50 percent; Government increased the average monthly water supply by over 40% and provided free water supply to over 10,000,000 Ghanaians, and Government disbursed GH¢412.88 million to support over 270,000 businesses which helped save over 650,000 MSME jobs.”
The leadership of the ICU also commended the government’s handling of the Coronavirus pandemic and urged the government to continue to do more to mitigate the impact, especially on workers.
The Ridge Hospital ICU full, Cannot Contain any more COVID-19 Patients
The ICUs in the Greater Accra region are filled up and calls for referral are beginning to come from the Peripheral treatment centres and Private Hospitals.
The Covid-19 has claimed its first casualty in Parliament – Kerema MP Richard Mendani. Mendani’s death was announced by National Pandemic Response Controller and Police Comm David Manning on Saturday.
Mendani passed away after a month-long admission at the Pacific International Hospital (PIH) in Port Moresby. He was admitted on Feb 24 after complaining of fever, cough and headache on Feb 19.
Minister dies of COVID-19
Comm Manning said Mendani was initially diagnosed with pneumonia by the Hope Clinic but his condition worsened. And on suspicion of the Covid-19, a PCR test was conducted at PIH and the result was positive. Comm Manning reiterated that the threat of death from the Covid-19 was real and it was an invisible killer spreading through the air we inhale and what we touch.
“We can all do our part to protect each other and our families by keeping them safe by adhering strictly to public health protocols in the New Normal,” he said.
Minister dies of COVID-19
“We are experiencing the second wave of the virus spike, and it is much worse than the first. “We have 3,085 positive cases in PNG. That is triple the positive cases one month ago and we have to prepare for the positive cases to rise.
“Since the outbreak, a total of 55,411 people in PNG have been tested for the Covid-19, out of which 3,085 had tested positive. “Currently, pending at the laboratory for results are 2,379 samples.” The death toll remains at 36.
Minister dies of COVID-19
“Let us all start wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining social distancing. Manning has urged all positive cases, including the asymptomatic patients to ensure they isolated themselves for the number of days given even if they were told to do this in their homes.
You Can Be Affected by Coronavirus Even if Vaccinated”- Dr. Mwangangi
The Kenyan Ministry of Health has come out to clarify that COVID-19 vaccination does not prevent one from contracting the coronavirus.
In a press briefing on Friday, Health Ministry CAS Dr. Mercy Mwangangi said the vaccine only serves to boost the immune system and get it ready to fight the virus.
She added that even individuals who get the virus can still transmit COVID-19 to others.
“Getting the vaccine does not mean that you cannot get COVID-19. Getting the jab does not mean that you cannot transmit the COVID-19. What the jab does is that it makes your immunity system alert. It prepares you for war, should you come across the virus your immune system will be ready to fight and manage that virus,” said Mwangangi.
She, however, noted that vaccination will help reduce the number of severe cases being witnessed, most of which result in deaths.
“What we know is that this jab will prevent progression to severe cases for COVID-19 meaning the cases we report for severe cases are bound to reduce if we have the right number of people vaccinated and that is the usefulness of this vaccine,” said the Health CAS.
Dr. Mwangangi urged Kenyans to continue wearing masks and observing the stipulated safety protocols even after getting vaccinated.
“Remember getting this vaccine still requires you to wear your mask and social distance because you can still get the disease however mild and you can still transmit the disease,” she said.
As of March 16, 2021, between 430,000 and 450,000 people had been vaccinated, with nearly 1,030 to 1,050 people reporting side effects.
This news follows rumors that some people who received the vaccine developed blood clots, but Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority, FDA, downplayed these claims on Thursday.
Dr. Kwame Amponsah- Achiano, the Programmes Manager at the Ghana Health Service’s Expanded Programme on Immunization, announced this on the 3FM Sunrise Morning Show, but added that the Ghana Health Service prefers to refer to these side effects as adverse events.
We would be confident when you say adverse events because not all immunization-related events are caused by vaccination, but we refer to them as events in general.
“So we’ve had nearly 1,030 and 1,050 incidents promoting, again, these are risks in comparison to the number of people vaccinated, which is about 268-300 events per 100,000 vaccinated. In other words, we have 300 reports for every 100,000 people who have received the vaccine.”
Ghana, he claims, is not faring badly in terms of the recorded adverse events.
The most common symptoms are diarrhoea, headaches, fever, injection site pain, and hunger. People are talking about sleeping too much, while others say they didn’t sleep well, so we’ve found a variety of mild adverse events so far, which we’re still tracking and FDA is in control of”
As of March 17, 2021, the country had completed 60% of the planned vaccinations.
The Covid-19 pandemic or diseases caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus has not only caused the down fall of many great economies in the world and over 2 million people worldwide but has also caused fear and panic in almost every living being on this planet.
Aside the fact that, the virus is very destructive, fear has also caused several people to refuse taking in the vaccines that have been approved for emergency use, especially in Ghana.
Even before the Covid-19 vaccines were developed numerous number of people were of the view that they will not take the vaccines if the world is able to develop one. And as at now a lot of Ghanaians have said that they will never take it, despite the fact that the first gentlemen of the land, His Excellency President Nana Akuffo Addo has taken the vaccine.
Currently, Ghana only have access to the 600,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine shots and some important personalities and other citizens have taken their first shots but nothing bad or no unusual side effect has caused serious problems to them.
But in Austria the information received or gotten is a bit worrying. The Austrian government has temporary suspended the inoculations with a batch of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in the country. And this suspension was as a result of a lady who died after taking the vaccine and one lady is currently sick but it is said that she is recovering.
The Federal Office of Safety in Health Care (BASG) revealed that, the suspension decision is taking to found out whether the vaccine caused the the above effects or otherwise.
BASG revealed that, “currently there is no evicdence of causal relationship with the vaccination”.
The above incident in Austria will massively have massive problem in Ghana. Ghana is one the countries that have taken the vaccine shots and due to this the level of fear in the citizens about the Covid-19 vaccine will continue to increase and most people might not take the vaccine anymore.
Member of the major opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Minister for Education and Trade and Industry, Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah has charged the minority caucus in Parliament to learn from his experiences before the House’s Appointments Committee.
This is a reaction to the rejection of some ministerial nominees of President Akufo Addo by Minority MPS of the Appointments Committee.
The Minority caucus had earlier rejected Minister Designate for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Mavis Hawa Koomson, Minister Designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture and Minister Designate for Food and Agriculture, Owusu Akoto Afriyie.
However, Spio Garbrah reacting in a social media post revealed that in 1993, an Appointments committee made up of one eagle party member and the rest his party members managed to reject his nomination.
According to him, he was voted against even though the committee had zero NPP MPS.
Mr Garbrah again pointed out that a hundred percent New Patriotic Party ( NPP) MPS voted against his nomination in 1997 and 2014, respectively.
The politician believes that he had not committed any crimes neither was he incompetent to have been rejected and voted against.
He therefore cautioned the minority to understand better the group ( NPP) they are competing with.
” I hope the Minority caucus can learn from my experiences before the Parliamentary Vetting Committee. In 1997, there were Zero NPP MPS, but a Parliament of 1 Egle member and all the rest NDC members managed to reject my nomination.
In 1997, 100% of NPP MPS voted against my nomination. In 2014, 100% of NPP MPS voted against my nomination. Do you think is because I had committed any crimes or I was incompetent? The NDC should understand better the group they are competing with.” Part of Spio Garbrah’s post read.
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira on Monday morning took their jabs of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Police Hospital in Accra.
Dr Bawumia will take his shot at the Police Hospital in Accra followed by the President who will receive his jab at the 37 Military Hospital.
Earlier reports suggested the President was take be the first Ghanaian to receive the vaccine.
Ghana last week received 600,000 doses of the COVAX vaccine.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is set to honour his promise of being the first recipient of the Coronavirus vaccine acquired by government as part of the fight against the global pandemic.
As part of his address on Sunday, February 28, 2021, the president noted that he would lead by example to take the shot to allay the fears and scepticism by Ghanaians toward the vaccine.
In the company of the first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s first couple is taking the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, the AstraZaneca at the 37 Hospital in Accra.
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. He said the government’s economic transformational agenda, was underpinned by the creation of digital infrastructure such as digital national identification system, property address system, the inclusion of the non-formal population into the financial sector through mobile money interoperability, amongst many others, whose benefits, he said, are obvious and impacting lives.
