Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity. And let me also use this opportunity to thank the Hon Minister for Health for his hard work, especially, in this COVID-19 pandemic. Also, let me thank my President for taking these steps to stem this pandemic.
Mr Speaker, when the President speaks, it is like an adjunct professor of public health; when he speaks, he speaks like somebody who is knowledgeable in this area, and of course, we know his area of
expertise, but I see that because he has imbibed all these things, it is very easy for him to grasp the concepts, especially with regard to contact tracing and testing, because that has been the firewall, so to speak, that we have used to stem this pandemic.
Mr Speaker, let me also thank all frontline workers; they have done a very marvellous job. At the very beginning of the epidemic, some people said Ghana had a weak system; I always say that we have a strong public health system and that is what has helped us all this far. We have used this very robust public health system to fight measles and to fight pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough; we use it to fight HIV-AIDS; we use it to fight tuberculosis but Ghanaians, by and large, do not know that we have a very robust public health system and that is what has saved us in these difficult times.
Mr Speaker, we have to be steady; the figures that the Hon Deputy Minister quoted means that at the very least, the most important parameters are not the cumulative figures but the number of active cases, and of course, perhaps, by the new cases and also, the deaths. The number of active cases is derivative which means that the number of cumulative cases minus
the deaths and plus those who have been treated and discharged. The new cases are primary data, so we should focus on them; we should focus on the number of active cases and then, the mortality. So, we should get the interpretation correct; we should educate our public so that they focus on these three parameters. That is what would give a true picture of what is happening as far as the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned.
Mr Speaker, I would like to say that we are wholly on our own and I would urge, especially, my colleague doctors and scientists, to publish, because I notice that we have a lot of experience in this arena that we can publish and even do operational research even as we live with the pandemic so that we can demonstrate to the whole world that we can also contribute to the body of knowledge that is out there, which would help us.
Mr Speaker, before I take my seat, let me also say that we should not make the mistake of getting into the idea that we have the handle on COVID-19 and that we are going to let down our guard. The populace should be educated that the best place is to keep oneself from one's friends; colleagues; family. In other words,
keep your distance; social and physical. And if inevitably, you have to be in crowded situations, for Heaven's sake, put on your nose masks or your cover-up masks so that you would not spread fomites or droplets because that is the main way of transmission.
M r Speaker, f inally, I believe that this too shall pass. In my old language, L atin, we can say hoc quoque transibit, which means, this too shall pass.
Thank you very much for the opportunity.