Despite the recent detection of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 at Achimota Senior High School, the Special Advisor on Health at the Presidency, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare believes schools are currently the “safest place” in the country.
Apart from the detection of the highly transmissible strain in schools, the Ghana Health Service has indicated that over 2,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded since schools resumed in January 2021.
Dr. Asare believes the number is not alarming as it captures the total number of students at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels who had so far contracted the virus across the country.
“Our secondary schools are the safest places in this country now because they are within the four walls. This [statistic] is for all schools in Ghana including the tertiary, primary and secondary schools.”
Dr. Asare pointed out that the relatively low statistics of recorded COVID-19 cases in schools signify the government’s efforts at containing the virus.
“What this means is that our teachers are doing well, the parents have done so well and the government has also done well by providing them with all the PPE so the secondary schools are not a bad place to be. “
There are currently 166 active cases among students from Ahafo, Ashanti, Greater Accra, and Eastern Regions.
The North East is the only region where no cases have been recorded in schools, according to the Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye.
At Achimota School, 195 students tested positive out of the 1,156 results available.
The total number of recoveries, however, currently stands at 120, bringing the active cases to 75.
