Akufo-Addo Health Status
Buabeng Asamoa, Information Minister & Others Give Conflicting Reports On President's COVID-19 Status
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Director of Communications, yesterday inadvertently blew the cover on President Akufo-Addo's COVID-19 health status, when he prayed for him on live radio wishing him a speedy recovery, hoping it will end early enough to continue with the good work he was doing for the country.
It has been six clear days since President Akufo-Addo, according to a government statement, went into a 14-day self-isolation after coming into contact with an unnamed fellow, who had been infested with the deadly coronavirus, and Ghanaians continue to live in suspense as to the whereabout, who per the statement, had tested positive.
Attempts by various government officials, including Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Health Minister, Kweku Agyemang Manu, Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin to manage reports on the President's COVID-19 status and whether or not, he has been flown out of Ghana, has been received with mixed feelings.
But speaking on Okay FM yesterday, Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, gave indication that the President is actually treating COVID-19.
"First of all, permit me to express my profound gratitude to my president and the seat of government for the grace I enjoyed from him during our primaries.
 Now, we are all praying that he - President - will recover quickly so that he will come back to continue his good work quickly", the NPP Director of Communications said.
Mr Buabeng Asamoah, who doubles as the NPP's Member of Parliament (MP) for Adentan Constituency, referring to President Akufo-Addo, continued "he's still at where he is, but we know when we see him---we have all missed him, we have missed his fellow Ghanaians. Today when you look round, we have missed Fellow Ghanaiansâ¦"
He spoke in Twi to Kwame Nkrumah Tikese on the Ade Akye Abia morning show on Okay FM.
Meanwhile, a sympathizer of the NPP, Solomon Owusu, who lives in Denver, Colorado â USA on hearing Mr Buabeng Asamoah, yesterday on Okay FM sent a questions to the host of the programme asking "I heard *Yaw Buabeng Asamoah* saying "y3 mb) mpae s3 Nana Addo ho b3t) no" (Let's pray that President Akufo Addo recovers).Â
Mr.Owusu wanted to know "Is the President sick to warrant any recovery? What should the President recover from? COVID-19? Is the President in isolation because he is sick? Who goes into isolation after testing negative of the COVID-19?Â
"Yaw Buabeng should give more explanations to Ghanaians", Mr Owusu, who has been on a personal crusade against illegal mining accusing government officials of deceit and corruption, demanded from the NPP Director of Communications.
On the same day, Information Minister, addressing the media, in Accra, on Thursday, as part of the bi-weekly briefing, said President Akufo-Addo, was hale and hearty and continuing his self-isolation precautionary measure against COVID-19; as he works from the Presidential Villa at the Jubilee House.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, insisted the President was doing well and even gave instructions over safety in schools, following the recent happenings in some Senior High Schools (SHS) during a meeting with members of the COVID-19 Response Team, on Wednesday, July 5.
The President's Director of Communications reacting to a publication by The Herald on the President's status and reports that he had left the country, on Sunday wrote on his Facebook wall "Kindly disregard the FALSE STORY published by the Herald Newspaper to the effect that the President was on Saturday "flown out of the country to London for COVID-19 treatment". It is clearly a figment of the author's imagination.
"The President is in the country, and he's currently at the Presidential Villa in Jubilee House, observing the 14-day self-isolation precautionary measure, in compliance with COVID-19 protocols".
The Herald in a rebuttal to Eugene Arhin, also stated "if the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, had only tested negative and is in Ghana, but in self-isolation, it shouldn't be impossible for him to address the country in a live broadcast".
"He should stand in front of the Presidential Villa of the Jubilee House and address the Nation, to prove that he is in Ghana or live address in front of his chosen media houses, will curb every anxiety or...?
Questions have also been asked about why President Akufo-Addo, who was in Norway with the Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Gunnar Andreas Holm, one of the first persons to test positive for COVID-19 in Ghana, after the trip, did not isolate himself then, suggesting there is more to the president's 14-day self-isolation, than the country has been told.
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, had stated that the government was fatigued by the increasing cases of coronavirus in the country, despite numerous interventions and public education on the disease, adding both the President and Health officials at the forefront, are already tired.
He added that, Ghanaians must take personal responsibility to protect themselves from contracting the virus.
"If we don't do that, the virus will continue to spread. Our positive cases continue to increase, if we are not careful the positive cases will turn into critical illness. Nana Addo is tired. Those of us leading the fight are fatigued because we have done all that we could to defeat the virus, but people are not adhering to the preventive protocols.
So, I am begging everyone to adhere to hand washing, social distancing and wearing of masks directives to help save the country some money and reduce the stress in fighting this disease".
The Health Minister, who also doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa Central Constituency, said this over the weekend when he commissioned a Police Station and CHPS Compound he built at Dormaa Nsesreso a border community.
On Tuesday, July 7, Mr Oppong Nkrumah, giving an update on the President's wellbeing, said he was conducting state business through telephone and other technologies from the Jubilee House.
President Akufo-Addo has, since Saturday, July 4, been in self-isolation after coming into contact with a close associate who tested positive for COVID-19.
Asked whether Government is overwhelmed by the increasing COVID-19 infections or not, Mr Oppong Nkrumah, said although it was not overwhelmed, it was concerned about the number of Ghanaians who were not adhering to the preventive protocols.
He, therefore, urged every individual to take personal responsibility of protecting himself/herself against the disease as the Government implemented various interventions to contain the spread of the contagion.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah, said the security agencies would continue to enforce the anti-COVID-19 protocols and those found culpable would be dealt with accordingly.
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament, has questioned the grounds on which the President has been advised to go into self-isolation after exposure to someone with COVID-19, wondering why the President was directed to self-isolate if reports suggest he has not tested positive for the virus.
In a statement, Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said the announcement of the President embarking on a two-week self-isolation over coronavirus scare contradicts public health infection management.
"Few days ago, the Minister for Information in a statement stated that President Nana Akufo-Addo has gone into self-isolation for 14 days upon expert advice. He further asserted that the initial COVID-19 test on the President was negative. We believe that the statement is contradictory and confusing to the public. Why would the President go into isolation if he tests negative to COVID-19?"
The Minority, therefore, wants the Ministry of Information to explain further to Ghanaians, what the true COVID-19 status of the President is, to settle the confusion it believes has been created.
"From a public health point of view, persons who test positive to a virus are isolated whereas negative but highly exposed cases go into quarantine. The minister should, therefore, be clear with his statement and not seek to mislead the public," the statement added.
The President, on Saturday, July 4, 2020, began a 14-day self-isolation after getting exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
"On the advice of doctors, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is from today, July 4, 2020, taking a fourteen (14) day precautionary self-isolation measure in compliance with COVID-19 protocols," a statement signed by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah added.
The statement said, although President Akufo-Addo has tested negative for the virus, he has still decided to self-isolate "out of the abundance of caution."