The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has attributed the recent COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Ghana to hall week celebrations held on the Legon campus.
Delivering a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, July 1, Mr. Akandoh explained that while COVID-19 is no longer considered a global health emergency, the virus has not disappeared entirely and may resurface occasionally, particularly during specific seasons.
He revealed that the cases were identified through Ghana’s influenza surveillance system and subsequently confirmed by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
Providing further details, Mr. Akandoh noted that an investigation by a national response team pointed to the recent hall week celebrations as the primary driver of the outbreak.
The Minister further revealed that compliance with basic COVID-19 safety protocols among the University community had declined significantly following the celebrations, posing additional challenges for contact tracing.
“In recent weeks, our national disease surveillance system detected an increase in cases at the University of Ghana. These cases have been traced to a familiar variant, the Omicron sub-variant which we have managed before. It spreads easily, but fortunately, it usually causes mild illness,” he stated.
“Mr. Speaker, after sending in a team to investigate, we found a few key issues that fuelled the spread. The most significant factor was the recent Hall Week celebrations held at the University. These events brought large crowds together, with little use of face masks or distancing,” he said.
As of July 1, a total of 316 suspected cases had been recorded at the University, with 107 confirmed as positive.
Fortunately, there have been no hospitalisations or deaths, and all confirmed cases are recovering well.
Mr. Akandoh assured Parliament that the outbreak remains contained within the University of Ghana community and has not spread to other parts of Accra or the country.
In response to the situation, the Ministry of Health has deployed a national response team to collaborate with University and municipal health officials. Emergency meetings have also been held with the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, heads of the Noguchi Memorial Institute, and the School of Public Health.
Additionally, the government has suspended all hall week activities on the campus, issued health alerts to facilities nationwide, and launched an intensive education campaign through campus radio, posters, and student leaders to encourage vigilance and adherence to safety protocols.
