We are sick of the virus but is the virus sick of us?

Another day in Ghana and more news of a rise in COVID-19 cases hit the country, every corner and every street of the country is filled with discussions of the rise in infection cases and the rise in deaths, people are left charred, shattered, and frustrated, there seems to be an outrage expressed at the Government over its handling of the crisis but the question is, do we have the right to be frustrated and angry at Government?

Currently, active cases stand at 1,832, new cases 147 and 231 deaths, total confirmed cases stand at 42,210 with 40,147 recoveries.

Businesses have been hit, many people in all the sectors of the economy have been affected and the number of jobs lost is unimaginable. Parents have had to take on extra responsibilities as schools remain shut. The words “wherefrom this disease” is on the lips of the old and young, professional and nonprofessional, everyone is affected.

Where we were

The first case of the virus was reported in March 2020. At an emergency press briefing on 12 March 2020, the Health Minister announced Ghana’s first two confirmed cases (in Accra). According to the Minister, the two cases were people who returned to the country from Norway and Turkey which made them the first actual cases of COVID-19 in Ghana. These two cases began the first contact tracing process in Ghana.

During the month of April, cases increased to 2,074. Cases were confirmed in most of the regions of Ghana, within just a month cases had started to multiply and this called for strict actions and measures to be taken. Commendable as it was the President initiated all measures to ensure we quickly stop the spread of the virus by directing a partial lockdown in the two major cities in the country, restricting movement of people and vehicles, this lockdown was further extended to all the other regions, which meant a great deal in an effort to combat the virus in the country.

Fast forward, the President decides to lift the lockdown restrictions even when it was clear we had not gotten a grip on managing the disease and some semblance to normal life resumed.

We are in the 3rd week of August and still recording new cases by the day. Relative to other countries, you may say it is not a huge concern but we are in Ghana, this is our situation, comparing us to other nations is unhelpful. Clearly the virus isn’t slowing down.

We are sick of the virus

You ask me what went wrong, I think we got sick and tired of the virus, yes Ghanaians “got sick” of the virus. Why do I say so; take a walk through the streets of Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Wa etc., people going out about their business with no regard for their lives and that of others.

Few people wear face masks, few keep to social distancing. We may not be echoing it with our words but our actions clearly indicate we are very “sick of the virus”. Well, why won’t we be sick of the virus? Do you blame us the ordinary citizen or the illiterate in the market, why blame her, when the Health Minister makes a bold press statement that “Ghanaians should learn how to live with the virus because it has come to stay just like we have learnt to live with diseases like Malaria’’.

I think it was an unfortunate statement made especially when it’s very certain that most Ghanaians are likely to take that literally. Here we are, isolation centers are full, hospital staff, and frontline workers are getting overwhelmed, we seem to have lost the fight against the virus and there is no sign that both government and the citizenry know what to do. We can try to use politically correct statements to wish the virus but it won’t work.

We are sick of the virus but the virus isn’t sick of us.

People continue to lose their lives and don’t think that compared to other countries 231 deaths seems ok, no its not.

The lives of ordinary Ghanaians matter and the impact on our families and the economy has been really hard. We seem not to really see the seriousness of this disease.

COVID-19 is not sick of the Ghanaian, rather it has found its way into our lives, slowly, and unknowingly wreaking havoc.

We should all take a share of the blame; the media, Government, especially the citizenry have all played a part in how we have allowed the virus to continue to spread. Our blatant disregard for the rules, the media failing to properly educate, inform, and put government on her toes and government failing to place the lives of the people first by not enforcing the laws- a myriad of issues.

COVID-19 isn’t sick of us and until we find a vaccine we cannot get “sick of the virus”. We each have a role to play and we cannot leave it to government alone. For us all, keep away from gatherings, wear your face masks, enhance your hygiene and keep washing your hands.

For Government, you are tasked to manage the economy and the country which includes the citizens and decisions taken should focus primarily on the well-being of the populace. It would be inappropriate to place political capital over the lives of innocent Ghanaians.

Advocacy has been key during these times, and as a member of Youth Leaders for Health in Africa; I commend my colleagues in Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Ghana, under the Guidance of WACI Health, Results UK, CISMAT, HDT, Hope for Future Generations and particularly to Dr Sylvia Anie for the great advocacy work and mentorship.

The beat will always continue, whether it is for Malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, Mental Health or COVID19 #TheBeatContinues