Health Service fears spike in COVID-19 cases as many ditch face masks

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has expressed fear of a possible spike in the country’s COVID-19 cases following the failure of Ghanaians to wear face masks.

According to the service, a recent survey conducted revealed that only 14.4% of the population in the Greater Accra Region wear face masks.

The Director-General of GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said the campaign to adhere to the wearing of face masks during this period must be intensified.

He said failure to do so will derail Ghana’s gain in the fight against COVID-19.

“Greater Accra is the one that is driving the pandemic [in Ghana] and so it is extremely important that we reset and go back and start wearing the mask so that as active cases are coming down, it will continue to go down.

“We started with one case and now 43,000. Where we are now, we need to be very careful. That is our major worry and we need to intensify the campaign [for wearing face masks],” he said at a news conference in Accra.

The wearing of face masks has become mandatory because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

READ: You Can Go To Prison For 10 Years For Failing To Wear Face Mask

An earlier survey conducted by the Ghana Health Service in Accra noted that 82 % of the sampled population possessed face masks and had the intention to use them.

However, out of this number, the survey showed that only 44.3%  of them use the face mask correctly.

Ghana’s COVID-19 cases count at as of Thursday, August 28, 2020, stood at 43,841 with 42,246 recoveries and discharges.

270 people have died from the disease.

The number of active cases is 1,325.