The 3,613 cases and 372 deaths are probably undercounts. Like the rest of the world, Covid 19 is raging out of control in Ghana. Aside from statistics, barely a day goes by without the reported illness or death of an acquaintance or a public figure.
The list is too long to reprise here. And for every known victim, there are many unknown ones.
After starting slow, we were doing very well.
A lockdown and border-closures that showed seriousness, mask mandates, contact-tracing and batch-testing that garnered global applause.
And a President who appeared serious.
Then political campaigns and holidays and reckless parties came. Campaigns and parties without masks or social distancing!
And we lost focus.
Today, as the world distributes vaccines, we are still studying the purchase of vaccines. The Covax facility, led by the WHO, which will supply the world’s poorest countries with 2 billion doses by the end of 2021 will not have enough for us. We must arrange to buy some, for our frontline health workers, police and trotro and bus drivers at the minimum, urgently.
But enough vaccines will not come early enough to stem the tide.