Political campaigns not responsible for the spike in coronavirus cases – Okoe Boye

Former Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, says that the political campaigns in October, November, and parts of December last year are not largely to be blamed for the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

According to him, the surge in the COVID-19 cases was as a result of a smaller group of parties held in enclosed spaces during the yuletide, amongst others.

“Normally, the incubation period between the time of getting the virus and falling ill, we are looking at two to four weeks. So yes, gathering there is a possibility but you will realize that we weren’t getting lots of cases a month or two when the campaign [elections] picked up as we had in the festive season”, he said in an interview monitored by mynewsgh.com.

Continuing, Dr. Okoe Boye said, “some of the technical people, we did some small history and research into the background of the cases, what we realized was that most of the people who came down with the illness are people who are in the middle, upper class who have gone for parties.”

“The numbers were not that huge but they were in an enclosed environment, and so we realize that there is a serious risk also that comes with programmes in an enclosed space. It’s also not about the enclosed setting but the length of distance. Basically, if you are only five in an enclosed area, within an hour the particles are in the air, if one person has it, all can come down ill," he explained.

He warned the mode of transmission has not changed so all and sundry must comply with the coronavirus protocols.