There is no data to support claims that political activities contributed to rising COVID-19 cases – Oppong Nkrumah

The president’s representative at the Ministry of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said there is no data to back assertions that political activities contributed to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.

According to Mr Oppong Nkruamah, the current rise in COVID-19 cases in the country is as a result of people being ‘reckless’ during the yuletide season.

The sharp rise in Ghana’s recorded cases of COVID-19 within the last two weeks has seen many attributing the development to activities of political parties that characterised the late parts of the just-ended year.

However, Speaking in a Joynews interview monitored by GhanaWeb, the former Minister of Information disputed the assertion, saying, “if you take the election period, I am sure the doctors will tell you that the data will not support the argument. I know it is fanciful for us to make that argument. But the election period was on December 7 and we are looking at 14 days around that period but we didn’t see that [increase in Covid-19 cases].

"But during the yuletide, that is, from December 25 to the New Year era, you will notice [people disregarded the protocols].”

Providing some form of data to back his statement, Mr Oppong Nkrumah who is the re-elected Member of Parliament for Ofoasi Ayirebi added that “with the current uptake in cases as the President explained, [it is because] during the yuletide season, a lot of us were reckless.

“… They [scientists] have specifics of events under which persons turned positive which is now leading to about 200 average cases a day and there is clear data and science to support this argument,” he said.

On the other hand, the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association speaking in the same Joynews interview monitored by GhanaWeb described Oppong Nkrumah's assertions as unfortunate.

According to the medical practitioner, it would be misleading should government solely attribute the second wave to the recklessness of citizens during the yuletide, as there was a drastic reduction in mass testing during the 2020 election period.

Currently, Ghana has a cumulative number of 58,067 COVID-19 cases out of which 351 are new. The total number of recorded deaths stands at 352 while active cases and recoveries are 1,924 and 55,789 respectively.