Coronavirus: Assessment ongoing to determine if new strain is at the community level – Dr. DaCosta

The Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Aboagye Dacosta says per information available to him, the new strain of the COVID-19 pandemic has only been recorded at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

On his accord, speculations that the new strain of the virus is already spreading amongst the populace is not verifiable.

Speaking to Sefah-Danquah in an interview on Happy 98.9 FM’s Epa Hoa Daben political talk show, Dr. Dacosta said, “What I know is that the new strain was recorded at the airport but we are now investigating the new strain amongst the populace and I am not sure if we have the new strain within the populace. I have not received any briefing on that because I am currently engaged in some field work”.

He reiterated that the Service is currently investigating the possible presence of the new strain at the community level. “We are yet to conduct testing to find out if such has happened”.

Dr. Dacosta advised Ghanaians to strictly adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols as positive cases keep soaring.

Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented and is spreading globally.

In the United Kingdom (UK), a new variant called B.1.1.7 has emerged with an unusually large number of mutations. This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. Currently, there is no evidence that it causes more severe illness or increased risk of death.



In South Africa, another variant called 1.351 has emerged independently of the variant detected in the UK. This variant, originally detected in early October, shares some mutations with the variant detected in the UK. There have been cases caused by this variant outside of South Africa, but it has not been detected in the US.

In Brazil, a variant called P.1 emerged and was identified in four travelers from Brazil, who were tested during routine screening at Haneda airport outside Tokyo, Japan. This variant contains a set of additional mutations that may affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies. This variant has not been detected in the US.

These variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19. Currently, there is no evidence that these variants cause more severe illness or increased risk of death.