President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana in a speech to the nation on Sunday.
The President, who has led Ghana’s effort to combat the virus, provided updates on the country’s improved response and described the successes in doing so.
Beginning his speech, the 29th since Ghana reported its first cases of COVID-19, President Akufo-Addo thanked the Ghanaian people for their endurance, tolerance, and collaboration throughout the trying times. He recognized the contributions made by the commercial sector, numerous stakeholders, religious leaders, traditional authorities, scientists, and health professionals who were instrumental in Ghana’s fight against COVID-19.
He claimed that there had been a global public health emergency that had officially ended due to a downward trend of COVID-19-related deaths, hospitalizations, and admissions to intensive care.
In his summary of the COVID-19 situation in Ghana, President Akufo-Addo said that as of May 15, 2023, 1,462 fatalities in the nation have been linked to the virus. He pointed out that at this time, Ghana had not reported any critical or severe cases. Out of 2,538,198 tests conducted since the first confirmed case in March 2020, there have been 171,758 positive cases.
Additionally, more than 25 million doses of the vaccine had been given, and 10.5 million people had received the full course of vaccination, exceeding the original goal of 20 million. The COVID-19 Taskforce, led by President Akufo-Addo, made significant decisions based on these encouraging outcomes, including eliminating all remaining COVID-related restrictions at airports and entry points.
Ghana’s health admission criteria are back to how they were before COVID. The President recognized the costs borne by Ghanaians during the pandemic, including the closure of institutions of higher learning, commercial establishments, and houses of worship, as well as the profound effects on daily life. President
Akufo-Addo encouraged people to continue using some preventive measures that had worked well throughout the pandemic while also celebrating the end of the crisis. Regular handwashing, good personal hygiene habits, and routine cleaning, disinfection, and fumigation of public areas like marketplaces are a few of these.
He also emphasized the benefits of the crisis, such as the improvement of disease surveillance systems, the growth of medical facilities, and the foundation of the National Vaccine Institute and vaccine production facilities.
The President informed the public that all expenditures would be subject to audit and parliamentary processes while acknowledging the considerable financial costs associated with the COVID-19 response. He said the COVID Trust Fund’s mandate was complete and thanked frontline personnel.
In his closing remarks, President Akufo-Addo expressed his gratitude to all the people, organizations, and sectors who contributed to Ghana’s effective response to the pandemic.
