Coronavirus wave in Ghana is of no scientific novelty – Biochemist

Professor Peter Twumasi, formerly of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has established that the recent rise in COVID-19 infections in Ghana is of no scientific novelty.

He said the recent increment of the COVID-19 infections had been forecasted a long time ago; just like all other diseases.

He added coronavirus infection is expected to intensify with the advent of winter as temperature drops.

Prof. Twumasi asserted that as dust in the atmosphere reduces the sun’s radiation during harmattan, most countries are likely to deal with the low temperatures and as a result record high infections and deaths related to COVID-19.

He alleged that at the beginning of the outbreak, the panic caused by COVID-19 plus the refusal of the government to return bodies of victims, discouraged families of severely ill relatives from receiving treatments at government hospitals or clinics.

Prof. Twumasi who is currently the Director-General of the National Sports Authority explained to the Ghana News Agency in Accra that:

“We are therefore not to be scared as a nation by these reported rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, but rather to ensure that adequate provisions are made to strengthen our health system to treat all patients with other diseases which tend to make individuals more susceptible to severe forms of COVID-19.

“Alternatively, programmes such as healthy eating, and the use of vitamin and mineral supplements including Vitamin C should be encouraged among communities,” Prof. Twumasi stated.

On the effectiveness of face masks and hand washing to the prevention of COVID-19, Prof Twumasi explained that although the spread of respiratory viruses can be reduced by the wearing of face masks, the practice is less effective in our community settings.

He said: “The highest efficacy one can derive from wearing of a standard facemask in the open is 70 per cent. Frighteningly, over 90 per cent of face masks available on the Ghanaian markets have mesh work pore sizes several times bigger than the diameter of the virus.

“A simple light microscopic examination can reveal these observations. These masks are thus not full proof from the prevention of Coronavirus infection aside the wrong wearing and contamination of the face masks by the users”. he noted.