Ghana’s active COVID-19 case count has risen to 5,358 with the death toll now at 416.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo disclosed this on Sunday, January 31, 2021, during his 23rd national address on the management of COVID-19 in Ghana.

“As of Friday, January 29, 2021, 64 more people have sadly died over the last two weeks bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to 416. Our hospitalization rate is increasing with the number of critically ill and severely ill now 172. Our hospitals have become full, and we have reactivated our isolation centres.”

“Our average daily rate of infection now stands at 700 compared to 200 two weeks ago. The total number of the active case has more than doubled from a little over 1,900 two weeks ago to 5,358 currently.”

Meanwhile, he has assured the nation that the government is working hard to get vaccines for Ghanaians.

According to him, the government will use its bilateral and multilateral relationships to get the vaccines by the end of June 2021.

He indicated that a total of 17 million doses will be procured.

The President added that only vaccines evaluated and authorised by the FDA will be used in Ghana.

“Fellow Ghanaians. In update number 21, I indicated that Ghana is set to procure her first consignment of the COVID-19 vaccines within the first half of this year. Since then. A lot of work has been done towards the realization of this. Our aim is to vaccinate the entire population with an initial target of 20 million people. Through bilateral and multilateral means we are hopeful of by the end of June, a total of 17,600,000 vaccine doses will have been procured for the Ghanaian people.”

“The earliest vaccine would be in the country by March. The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) will use its established processes for granting emergency use authorization for each vaccine in Ghana. As president of the Republic, I assure you that only vaccines that have been evaluated and declared safe for use in Ghana would be administered.