Six children between the ages of five and 12 have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Hohoe Municipality. Five of the children have been treated and discharged, while the sixth—a six-year-old who was transported from another location—is currently receiving treatment and responding well.
From January to August 2021, 86 staff members at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital also tested positive for the virus. During the same period, a total of 2,458 samples were tested in the Municipality, out of which 459 returned positive.
Currently, there are 34 active cases, and four individuals have died due to the virus.
Speaking at a Public Health Emergency Management Committee meeting, Mr. Philip Nani-Tome, the Hohoe Municipal Disease Control Officer, expressed concern over the declining adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.
He noted that most residents no longer wear face masks, observe social distancing, or use hand-washing facilities. He also criticised government institutions for not enforcing protocols and highlighted the lack of media engagement in public education.
Mr. Nani-Tome urged the Hohoe Municipal Assembly to strictly enforce its bye-laws on COVID-19 safety protocols. He appealed for financial support to procure fuel for contact tracing and intensified health promotion activities.
He further disclosed that the Municipality had not received the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine for those who took the first jab. Vaccine hesitancy remains a challenge, he added. He also highlighted the urgent need for more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline health workers.
The Disease Control Officer called on churches to adhere to the two-hour service duration and enforce all COVID-19 protocols during gatherings.
Among the logistical challenges he listed were the lack of transport for medical supplies to treatment centres, no reimbursement for hospital expenses, absence of refrigeration for storing medication, and limited capacity for home-based case management.
Responding to the challenges, Mr. Andrews Teddy Ofori, the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, pledged to provide a motorbike to support case management efforts.
He also called on the Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC) to convene and strategise ways to enforce safety protocols.
Superintendent Odoi Jeffery Nii Laryea, Commander of the Wli Afegame Border Post, reported that the border remains closed to human traffic, with goods still allowed through. A joint security task force is monitoring and patrolling unapproved routes leading to neighbouring Togo.
