FACT-CHECK: Who said President Akufo-Addo is tired of the coronavirus fight?

Claim: President Nana Akufo-Addo is tired of coronavirus fight

Source: Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu

Verdict: True

Researched by Etsey Atisu

Ghana, like the rest of the world, has in place measures aimed at tackling the continuous spread of COVID-19.

However, the country seems to be experiencing increasing numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases in recent times.

But is President Nana Akufo-Addo “tired” of fighting the coronavirus outbreak?

Well, that is the claim being attributed to the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, in local online media reports on Starrfm.com.gh, GhanaWeb and Ghana Business News, with the story later republished by international media platform- World News Network and shared on Twitter.

Ghana Case Count

Ghana’s confirmed coronavirus case count stands at 22,822, with 17,564 recoveries/discharged and 129 deaths as of July 5, according to the Ghana Health Service.

This is after the country recorded its first 2 cases on March 12, with the announcement made by the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu.

Health Minister COVID-19 recovery

There was controversy when news broke that Kwaku Agyeman-Manu had been admitted at the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC) over fears of contracting the virus, and subsequent media reports of his denial.

It took the President to confirm that the minister had indeed contracted the virus during a national address to update Ghanaians on the coronavirus spread in Ghana.

However, Deputy Health Minister Dr Bernard Okoe Boye has recently confirmed the minister’s recovery and discharge from hospital.

Fact-Check

In a 2minutes long audio clip made available to GhanaFact by Starrfm.com.gh, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu is heard partly saying in his native Bono language:

“If we don’t do that, the virus will continue to spread… 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.”

The Health Minister who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central Constituency said this at a ceremony to commission a newly built Police Station and a Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) Compound in Dormaa Nsesreso.

Health Minister walks back comment

The minister has since suggested he might have been lost in translation- walking back his earlier comments.

In a rejoinder published on Peacefmonline and aggregated by GhanaWeb, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu is quoted to have said:

“I only pleaded with Ghanaians on our normal COVID education awareness and I spoke about the hard work the President has put into this battle. The tireless efforts that the President and health officials have put into this fight require that we all help and adhere to the safety protocols. If we don’t, [it] may put the President’s labour in vain.”

Verdict

The claim that the minister made the original statement is true.

But to situate his comment in context considering the language barrier, the “tired” used here was to show frustration due to non-adherence of the COVID-19 protocol and not to suggest the government was giving up the fight against coronavirus outbreak.