Ghana’s COVID-19 response: the Black Star can do even better

Abstract

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana’s response was hailed as one of the best among African countries; in particular its innovative testing approach and science-driven political leadership. However, a concerning upward trend of new cases, severe presentations and deaths has been observed since late 2020, which persists. Community-level transmission appears to have significantly spiked, concurrent with lapses in contact tracing and community-level testing. Risk communication and risk perception are inadequate, fuelling misinformation and poor compliance with infection and prevention control measures. There is an urgent need for detailed, age-disaggregated reports on new and severe cases and deaths from both public and private health sectors and from communities .We make recommendations for a comprehensive, data-driven response to sustain Ghana’s COVID-19 containment measures, and practical guidance for health facilities, schools and workplaces.