College of Health Sciences

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Start date: 2020Subject: search.filters.subject.COVID-19

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    COVID-19 is a trigger for transformation in pharmacy education for West Africa
    (Pharmacy Education, 2020) Duwiejua, M.
    The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has irreversibly disrupted key services including education. Terms like the ‘new normal’ reflect the lost hope of returning to pre-COVID times. This editorial describes the challenges and responses of educators and governments in West Africa to COVID-19. To avert further harm posed to pharmacy education and practice, the publication advocates for innovation. Pharmacy leaders in West Africa are challenged to look On the other side of the coin, avoid inefficient panic-driven solutions and seek opportunities for change in the challenges. The paper provides a direction for change and specifically identifies collaboration with partners within the region and beyond including quality continuous professional development programmes for leadership development, re-training of educators and practitioner development.
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    Misconceptions, Misinformation and Politics of COVID-19 on Social Media: A Multi-Level Analysis in Ghana
    (Frontiers in Communication, 2021) Tabong, P.T.N.; Segtub, M.
    Background: Ghana developed an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (EPRP) in response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) pandemic. A key strategy in the EPRP is to mobilize national resources and implement strategies for improved risk and behavioral change communication. Nonetheless, concerns have been raised on social media about COVID-19 misinformation and misconceptions. This study used social media content to determine the types, forms, and effects of the myths, misconceptions, and misinformation in Ghana’s COVID-19 containment. Method: The study was conducted in three phases involving the use of both primary and secondary data. A review of social media information on COVID-19 was done. This was complemented by document review and interviews with key stakeholders with expertise in managing public health emergencies and mass communication experts (N = 18). All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using NVivo 12. Results: The study showed a changing pattern in the misconceptions and misinformation about COVID-19. Initially, myths were largely on causes and vulnerability. It was widely speculated that black people had some immunity against COVID-19. Also, the condition was perceived to cause severe disease among the elderly. These misconceptions served as risk attenuators among Ghanaians, especially the younger generation. As the infection evolved in the country, another misconception emerged that the hot climate in Africa inhibited viral replication and transmission, followed by speculations and conjectures that COVID-19 was being used as a biological weapon to target developed economies. For the management of COVID-19, the use of local remedies such as Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) and herbal preparation also emerged. Myths about the efficacy of locally manufactured gin (akpeteshie) and hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis led to the abuse of such substances. Interview segments revealed the use of myths to propagate political agendas in the country. Conclusion: The study concludes that COVID-19 misconceptions and misinformation are widespread and cover the course of the condition. These myths necessitate culturally sensitive health communication strategies that take into account local perceptions of COVID-19 to tackle the circulation of misconceived messages about the pandemic in Ghana.
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    Did Ghana Do Enough? A Scientometric Analysis of COVID-19 Research Output from Ghana within the African Context
    (MDPI, 2023) Yalley, A. K.; Ahiatrogah, S.; Yalley, A. B.; et al.
    Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated worldwide research efforts to provide knowledge about the disease. Yet little is known about how Ghana contributed to this critical knowledge production. This scientometric analysis was conducted to ascertain Ghana’s COVID-19 research output within the African context to gain understanding and identify potential future directions. The study retrieved relevant research, spanning 2019 to 2022, from the Scopus database in December 2022. The retrieved data were assessed using various established indices, including collaboration patterns, productive institutions, citation patterns, and major research sponsors, among others. Ghana came seventh in Africa with a total of 1112 publications. For international collaborations, the United States and the United Kingdom were the major partners, while South Africa was the main African collaborator with Ghana. Out of the top 21 most productive authors, 85.7% were males and 14.3% were females, demonstrating a great gender gap in research output in Ghana. Although Ghana has made some contributions to the global COVID-19 research output, there are few intra-continental research collaborations, which limits Africa’s overall research output. Our study demonstrates a critical need for the Ghanaian government to prioritize research and funding and address barriers to women’s research productivity