A lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology (KNUST) says government cannot conclude that the country has reached its peak number of infection without a daily incidence data.

Dr De-Graft Johnson said the daily incidence data, which refers to the number of infections per day, has not been provided by the Ghana Health Service, thus making it difficult for modellers to fashion a module to measure the peak level of the country.

Speaking on Joy News’ Upfront with Winston Amoah, he said the Ghana Health service has only provided the cumulative data which cannot be used for such a purpose.

“When we are able to see the incidence data posted on the Ghana Health Services website then we will be able to choose our modules, evaluate the data that they have given to us and those specific questions [about our peak level] could be answered,” he said.

He explained that the daily incidence data would indicate the daily increase in infection and at what point infection will begin to slow down.

“For example if your incidence is 22 today, it could be 20 tomorrow, or it could be 21 the next day, it could be 22 the next day, it comes to 20 the next day then 19 the following day.

“So you see the incidence daily data will increase to that point known as the turning point plateau, and then it begins to decline as the days go on.  Now the only way for me to evaluate this is if you have access to the daily incidence data,” he said.

Also speaking on the matter, Dr. Michael Owusu a Virologist at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) reiterated the need for the daily incidence data.

According to him, for the daily incidence data to be accurately determined, “the data of the day on which the samples are collected” will be very important.

“But then since the whole exercise was started, the framework of the data we had was more of when results are reported. So for the past two or three weeks we have been working closely with GHS to try and realign all our data to point straight to the date of sample collection, so that we will be able to calculate the incidence data , the number of new cases that we record every single day,” he stated.

Dr Owusu said the laboratories testing for infections do not have that yet soo till then, no reported peak infection level can be confirmed with data.

“I think in the next couple of weeks when we have realigned our data we can more confidently send it out there for public observation put it on the website for modellers to look at it and be able to module a peak,” he said.

Director of Public Health at the GHS, Dr Ebenezer Badu Sarkodie, on Tuesday said, data on Ghana’s rate of Covid-19 infections shows the country’s case count has peaked.

According to him, the rate of infection is yet to decline, but this will only happen if the preventive protocol for the virus are adhered to.