As nations across the world continue to lock down and announce stricter measures in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus pandemic, Ghanaians have been assured by the Health Service that there will be no lockdowns and other restrictions in spite of the spike in numbers as a result of the Omicron variant.

It could be recalled that in March 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced a lockdown and restrictions in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi metropolitan areas in his nationwide address on the measures put up in the fight the virus.

The Director-General of Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, in an interview with Kwame Obeng Sarkodie on Accra100.5FM’s morning show, Ghana Yensom, on Wednesday, 5 January 2022, however, explained that Ghana is nowhere near a second lockdown.

In spite of the spike, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said citizens’ adherence to the safety protocols and patronage of the vaccines will make a second lockdown unnecessary.

He said the Greater Accra Region is recording an average of 1,000 new Omicron cases daily. 

Prior to the entry of Omicron, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said Ghana’s active caseload was a little below 1,000 cases.  

Dr Kuma-Aboagye said it was the expectation of the Health Service that there was going to be a spike in the number of cases after the Christmas festivities.

However, he noted that the spike preceded the Christmas festivities and has been rising since.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye explained that this is a difficult time for the country, as far as the fight against the pandemic is concerned.

He said the spike in the numbers can halt if Ghanaians continue to take the vaccines and observe the safety protocols.

He assured the country that the COVID vaccines were safe.

According to him, it is because of the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines that even though countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom continue to record more cases, fewer patients get to be admitted.

Globally, he said more than four billion people have been vaccinated while about ten million people have taken the jab in Ghana.

He cautioned anti-vaccine campaigners to stop demonizing the vaccine and rather help to save lives.