Coronavirus peak: Stop 'disrespecting' us, we ain't shallow minded - Pratt fumes

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr says health experts and leaders in the country should spare the ears of Ghanaians about the disease having reached its peak and likely to go down.

Despite the number of high cases recorded in Ghana, health experts and leaders maintain that the country has reached the peak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection curve.

We've peaked but not out of the woods

Dr Ebenezer Badu Sarkodie, the Director of Public Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS), on Thursday explained that Ghana attained its highest confirmed cases of COVID-19 on April 25, 2020, indicating its peak period.

He, however, added that this doesn't mean the country is "out of the woods" and so entreated Ghanaians to keep following laid-down protocols to curb the pandemic.

Facts don't support claims

Touching on the COVID-19 pandemic issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Kwesi Pratt stated that the data and facts don't support claims of the disease likely to dwindle.

Referring the leaders to the current case count which has shot up to over 4,000, he asserted that there is no way the country is going to experience a downward trend in transmissions since the health centres are about to even undertake daily testing of the virus to find out new community infections.

Stop the disrespect

He registered his disappointment in the country's COVID-19 response team for suggesting that the disease will slow down and admonished them to stop taking Ghanaians for a ride.

''How do you tell me the disease is slowing down? We've moved from 1 to 2, 3 and even reached 3000 and beyond, then you come to tell me the disease is going down. Do you think I have a shallow mind?''

''...you come to stand before Ghanaians telling them the disease is diminishing, what should we tell you? It means you don't respect us...if we are not doing daily testing, on what basis do you come to tell us this is going down?'' he rhetorically asked.

Mr. Pratt feared a second wave of the pandemic will be extremely dangerous than the current wave in the country.

''It is most likely that there will be a second wave and that if you follow all pandemics of this nature, there is a second wave. And that the second wave is likely to be more devastating than the first wave. In fact, when you take a critical look at the flu pandemic, the second wave killed far more people even than the first wave and so on. If you're faced with all these facts and our leaders keep deceiving us that we shouldn't panic because the disease has reached its peak and so it's coming down, coming down from where?'' he questioned.

Meanwhile, Ghana's COVID-19 cases have increased to 4012, according to the Ghana Health Service.

Per the update on Friday, May 8, 2020, the number of recoveries has risen to 323.

The death toll remains at 18.

This means over 900 cases have been recorded in less than 48 hours.

According to the statement on the GHS website, "over 50% of these cases were as a result of an outbreak in an industrial facility with 1,300 workers of which 533 have been confirmed positive. Over the same period, 20 more recoveries have been reported.

“Bono Region has recorded a case and thus 13 out of 16 regions have reported cases. Currently, the only regions with no confirmed cases of COVID-19 are the Savannah, Bono East and Ahafo regions."