Why Ghanaians must be careful with the optional masking

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause havoc to lives. Thankfully, compared to the rest of the World, Ghana has been spared the devastating health impact of COVID-19, though we haven’t been spared economically.

I know we all can’t wait to get back to our normal lives, where there is no masking and no social distancing. Unfortunately, this pandemic is not over yet. Though the incidence of the disease is quite low compared to when the pandemic began, it continues to record some deaths. Optional masking to most Ghanaians may mean the pandemic is over, which is clearly not the case.

Vaccination continues to be the best way of reducing the hospitalization rate and the death rate from the disease. Unfortunately, a vast majority of Ghanaian adults have not yet been vaccinated.

Regrettably, COVID-19 vaccines for children have not been a major component of the vaccination plan in the country. Children may be less vulnerable to COVID 19 but globally, we have lost some children to the disease. Children exposed to the virus may easily transmit the virus to vulnerable adults. Unfortunately, death has been reported in vaccinated adults, so we must be careful since we are not out of the woods yet.

I want the government to prioritize getting the COVID-19 vaccine for our children while we continue to encourage more adults to get the vaccine. That may be the sure way to achieve herd immunity to get back to our normal lives safely and quickly.

Until then, I will encourage parents with children with underlying health conditions such as Asthma to continue wearing their masks when they leave their houses. Let’s all help defeat this virus.