Disregard for coronavirus safety protocols major challenge - GHS

• Ghana Health Service has described the continuous disregard for COVID-19 protocols as alarming

• The Service cautions that vaccination does not entirely prevent infection

• The Director-General of the GHS says adhering to safety protocols will limit the spread

The Ghana Health Service has bemoaned the increasing disregard for safety protocols despite the spike in coronavirus cases.

Speaking at a press conference held on Wednesday, August 5, 2021, the Director-General said the carelessness such as the wrongful use of nose masks, hands not frequently sanitized or washed poses a challenge especially because Ghana is in the third wave.

Aside the improper use of nose masks, the Service called for an 'all-hands-on-deck' approach to intensify the fight against the deadly pandemic.

“If households, service providers and institutions strictly ensure that people they admit into their spaces adhere to the safety protocols, particularly the washing of hands, proper wearing of face masks and the social distancing rule, the numbers will come down.

“The current trajectory of cases, with low adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols, poses a significant risk of a higher third wave,” he said.

Clearing the notion that an individual being vaccinated means exemption from contracting the virus, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the vaccine was not 100 percent protective measure

“Vaccination will not prevent you from infection, but chances that you might not fall sick are very high and you are highly likely not to die from COVID-19.

“But a fully vaccinated person who is a carrier can transmit to more vulnerable people, which include those who have not been vaccinated, and they might be severely hit by the virus, even if they do not die,” he explained.

He urged the public not to abandon the safety protocols as it's the sure way to secure lives.