Dr Nsiah Asare, the presidential advisor on health says the government may be forced to trigger compulsory vaccination under the Public Health Act if the increasing spate of new COVID-19 cases worsen.
The warning comes after the country recorded a spike in the active cases from a little over 1,600 to 3,000 cases in the past three days.
Speaking to Kwaku Nyhira-Addo on the Asaase Breakfast Show, Thursday( 23 December), Dr Asare said the spike is due to the importation of cases because of the festive season.
“… It is the influx of people coming all over the world for holidays and I’m sure you are aware that there is a lot of surges all over the world, US, UK and some European countries are all having their fourth waves and a lot of our compatriots and other foreigners are coming into the country and once they are coming, the importation of the virus into the country will also go up,” he said.
“The Health Minister has already invoked the Public Health Act, but we have not come out publicly to say that we are going to compulsory vaccinate anybody. We are trying to vaccinate as many people as much as possible, using all sort of ways that we are using to convince the people…”
He added, “When the need be, because if for example, a lot of people are getting sick and the hospitals are very choked, and people are dying, I don’t think any government will sit down and watch that to happen.”
Dr Nsiah Asare further advised event organisers to resort to having their events outdoor to help contain the spread of the viral disease.
Case Update
Greater Accra Region – 72,687
Ashanti Region – 20,887
Western Region – 7,551
Eastern Region – 6,617
Volta Region – 5,425
Central Region – 4,862
Bono East Region – 2,558
Bono Region – 2,126
Northern Region – 1,767
Upper East Region – 1,495
Ahafo Region – 1,060
Western North Region – 1,006
Oti Region – 848
Upper West Region – 743
North East Region – 283
Savannah Region – 262
Fred Dzakpata
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