COVID-19 has presented unusual challenges for individuals, governments and societies across the globe. Several non-medical and non-pharmaceutical interventions have demonstrated to be critical in addressing the resultant impacts. One notable tool among these interventions is the application of technology in identifying infected persons or individuals coming into contact with those infected. Policy think-tanks have invested in geospatial technology and information systems to help resolve contact tracing inefficiencies to curtail the fast spread of the disease. This study highlights the extent of the application of geospatial technology in COVID-19 contact tracing in Ghana. Here, it was demonstrated that majority of young adults that form the greater part of Ghana’s population have access to digital devices which serve as primary catalysts in facilitating effective and efficient contact tracing. Case count of the pandemic continues to surge sharply from one month to the other since the first recorded case on March 12, 2020. A huge number of cases were recorded in the southern part of the country, as against cases recorded in the north. Mobility patterns depicted the migration of more people from regions with a high number of case count to regions with lower counts. We recommend a holistic and proactive approach to the use of smart mobile devices and applications in enhancing contact tracing. Privacy and data protection laws must be prioritized and supported by effective legislative and policy frameworks that serve as the legal basis for the management of personal information.
A fifty-year study of land cover changes in Ghana's south-eastern region is conducted to identify major shifts and new avenues for justifiable growth and development. A combination of early studies and geospatial technology was adapted to analyse the data. Our study investigated the relationship between some given variables using autocorrelation and geoinformatics. Socio-political and economic factors have caused a massive shift in the land cover through growth in human settlements, migration, the extensiveness of agriculture, poverty, unregulated and unreported logging of trees, small-scale mining intensification, and weak governance systems. We discovered that the natural vegetation had dramatically reduced (-52.01%), whilst built-up (+406.05%), farmlands/shrubs (+86.47%), and waterbodies (+47.35) were faced with a drastic increase. Class contribution rates show built environment massively influenced land modification, compared to other surveyed classes. In light of the major influences observed, it can be concluded that dynamics in land-use systems caused a substantial drift in local temperature. Temperature and built-up index correlated strongly (R 2 =0.959, p <.0001), whilst depicting a negative association against vegetation (R 2 =0.959, p <.0001) and water-index (R 2 =0.958, p <.0001). Variance assessment proved that the linear correlation model for the understudied elements is appropriate. The study provides policy guidance and basic research support to key proponents and practitioners in addressing undesirable consequences, caused by urbanization, public behaviour or lifestyles, and institutional failures.
Background: Ghana’s COVID-19 caseloads stretched to 32,437 with 161 deaths. After the first COVID-19 case recorded in March, the Government of Ghana imposed several restrictions on the life of citizenry to prevent the spread of the infection. However, it is imperative to assess and track the knowledge, misperceptions, attitudes and behaviour of Ghanaian on this public health emergency that is moving fast and not well understood before lives are restored to normalcy. This study investigated the knowledge, misperceptions, attitudes and behaviour of Ghanaians on the COVID-19 pandemic through a rapid online survey system.Methods: The Cochran sample size determination formula was used to estimate a representative sample of adult Ghanaian residents (n = 420) for the cross-sectional survey. An online questionnaire (eQuestionnaire) designed with Google Form was administered to the participants who consented to be part of this study. SMS and popular social media handles were used for the distribution of the eQuestionnaire URL to the participants. The survey commenced on July 5th 2020 through to July 15th,2020. Socio-demographic data of participants were gathered on age, gender, religion and level of education. Data collected were analysed using summary and inferential statistics. Results: A total of 475 adult Ghanaian participants completed the eQuestionnaire. Some Ghanaians believed that the COVID-19 pandemic is a myth (95% CI 25.6%-48.1%) and it does not have any effect on a Ghanaian (African) because of the hot temperate we experience. Majority of the participants (78.2%) thought that older adults were at high risk of death when disease-ridden with COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the participants (81.5%) were poise that Ghana can successfully manage the COVID-19 pandemic. About 31.5% of the participants indicated they did not wear facial or nose masks when going out of their homes. The participants (81.9%, 389/475) approved that the government should ease the COVID-19 restrictions for life to return normalcy.Conclusion: Although Ghanaians have appreciable knowledge, positive attitude and appropriate behaviour in response to COVID-19 pandemic, a well-coordinated effort is needed to ensure stringent compliance with healthcare protocols toward the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Ghana.
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