Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency and Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described as 'Nonsensical', a concert organized by the Ministry of Communication to launch a COVID-19 Tracker Application.
He says Ghana has become a subject of ridicule to the outside world who are putting in frantic efforts to find a solution to this pandemic.
Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' program, he explained that the launch of the APP could have been handed over solely to the Information Ministry to perform at the usual periodic press briefing or perhaps the President in one of his broadcasts on updates on the COVID-19 to Ghanaians.
"Why waste money on just an APP whilst people are dying of hunger during this lockdown period. This funfair was like Ghana had found the vaccine for the virus," he said.
"The government should have known better to use the country’s scanty resources in these difficult times," he added.
The government through the Ministry of Communications over the weekend launched the GH COVID-19 tracker app in its bid to counter the spread of Coronavirus in Ghana.
Accessible as a browser-based app, the COVID-19 Tracker will allow persons to self-report symptoms without needing to visit a healthcare facility and thereby aiding in social distancing.
Additionally, the tracker can also locate individuals who attend the same function as part of measures towards the enhanced contact tracing exercise to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Vice President, Dr. Bawumia formally launched the application at a virtual concert in Accra on Monday, April 13.
The virtual concert which was broadcast live on major television networks to launch the app had performances from; Shatta Wale, Kuami Eugene, Great Ampong, Kaakyire Kwame Appiah, Lucky Mensah, and other musicians.
The COVID-19 Tracker will be available for download on Playstore this week, according to the Communications Minister.
App Hits 16,000 Downloads In Less Than 24 Hours
The Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, on Tuesday, revealed that the GH COVID-19 Tracker app has been downloaded 16,000 times in less than 24 hours after it was launched on Monday.
According to her, about 100 reports of Coronavirus-like symptoms have also been made through the app.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said the reports would be forward to the Ghana Health Service.
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17 Recover From COVID-19
In a related development, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed that seventeen (17) persons have fully recovered from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
"We have 17 persons who have recorded negatives and are obviously clinically cured," Dr. Patrick Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service disclosed at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Delivering an update on COVID-19 at a press briefing on Tuesday, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah further explained that before a person is officially declared to have fully recovered from the virus, the person has to test negative twice.
He also disclosed that there are another sixty-six (66) people who have also tested negative but are not included in the full recovery cases because they are yet to conduct a second test on them.
The number of recovery cases will come to 83 after their results prove negative on second testing.
Ghana has recorded 566 confirmed cases of the COVID-19.
Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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REMOVE YOUR POLITICAL LENS AND YOU WILL SEE THE MARKETING SENSE IN THE FUNFARE. IT WAS THE FUNFARE THAT GOT SOMEONE TO ASK FOR THE DETAILS OF THE APP FROM ME. STOP SOUNDING NONSENSICAL TO SOME OF US.
The so called publicity would have been more if the president mention it in one of his address to the nation. I believe most Ghanaians will wait and listen to the President in times like this. NPP is always playing with things.
The Virtual Concert was to market the Tool. Okudzeto Ablakwa is exhibiting his poverty in marketing concepts. Obviously, the concert featuring various musicians attracted viewers to listen in and spread the message. That cannot be considered as waste of money by any imagination - not by any educated brute struggle for political advantage.
I CAN IMAGINE THE NOISE PEOPLE ESPECIALLY JOURNALIST WOULD HAVE MADE AGAINST MAHAMA IF HIS GOVERNMENT ORGANISED A ***barred word*** THING LIKE THIS. SOMETIMES I WONDER IF ITS THE SAME GHANAIANS IN MAHAMA ERA WHO ARE LIVING TODAY. HYPOCRITES!!!
I am not a fan of this gentleman called Okudzeto Ablakwa but in this instance, I agree with him completely. By the way, do we have to launch every project or activity with funfare? We seem to be a bunch of people who see and treat every activity as being halarious or joyous. Please let us show some seriousness in matters like COVID-19 and our citizens will follow suit. Can you blame Chorkor revelers for being at the beach when we are supposed to be in a partial lockdown?
Has he stop his weekend classes abroad? se wo suro biribi! ko na yen hwe. Adwee.
People are dying means life should not go on? NDC will always try to find fault with anything the government does. You had no innovative ideas when you were in power, now someone is bringing in innovations, and that is a problem for you.
Honourable, what you should know is that in certain situations like this, funfair is very important. there is the need for funfair so that both the middle class and the lower class will hear about it and download the App. I will suggest that the funfair should continue in every district so that more people will hear about the App and download it. Had it not been social distancing, there would have been the need for street carnivals in every corner of the country. By the way, I will agree with you if your main motive or objective is the failure of this great innovation so that you can reap politically.
I don't like this dude but I got to agree with him on this one. It was nonsensical to say the least. Total ***barred word***.
the good LORD is in control. the battle is still the Lord's.