Preventing COVID-19 spread is a shared duty - GHS Dir.Gen.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kumah Aboagye, has said that the comprehensive system put in place to reach all persons who had come into contact with the two persons infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is yielding the desired results.
However, he reminded the public that averting the spread of COVID 19 was a shared responsibility and reiterated the need for all to imbibe basic hygiene practices because the solution now was prevention based on hygiene, in the absence of a vaccine and a cure.
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“We have engaged them to collect an initial list of persons they had contact with and we are following up to where they live, work among other traces, to assess the extent of contact to determine the level of risk and required response,” he said.
Interview
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview yesterday, Dr Kumah Aboagye said one of the affected persons had provided an initial list of 50 persons he came into contact with six days before he began to show symptoms of COVID-19.
He said the other person had also provided an initial list, but the director-general did not mention how many were on the list.
Dr Kumah Aboagye expressed the optimism that as the process continued, almost all persons who had come into contact with the two would be reached to facilitate the right interventions.
He said the two, who were currently being kept in isolation facilities, were in very stable conditions.
Self-quarantine
The director-general said contacts that had been identified had been asked to self-quarantine, while they were monitored on a daily basis for the necessary steps to be followed should they show signs of the disease.
When asked if the GHS recommended the closure of schools and other public institutions where people converged for work or other purposes, Dr Kumah Aboagye said that was not yet on the table.
He was quick to add, however, that those were part of the response protocols that would be triggered when the need arose, especially in the case of local spread infections in which one per cent of local communities were affected.
“We continue to study the situation because we don’t want to wait till one per cent of a community’s population is infected before we act. We are monitoring the situation and at any indication of community spread, we will enhance response by closing schools and limiting public gatherings. But as of now, we only discourage overcrowding in any public meeting,” he stated.
He reiterated that the national preparedness measures were very responsive and up to international standards, saying that explained why the system was able to pick the cases that tested positive as well as the many alerted cases that were negative.
“These two cases have proven that our surveillance system is on point although we will never be complacent and will keep improving on it by the day in partnership with our international partners.
“Again, the confirmed case is an opportunity to put our response mechanism, which is already apt, well responsive and on red alert to test and help identify a few minor gaps so we could address them,” Dr Kumah Aboagye said.
He also gave an assurance that it was not a gloomy situation and there was no cause for alarm, insisting “Let us be calm and adhere to health experts’ preventive advice.”
Plea to stakeholders
Dr Kumah Aboagye appealed to people who exhibited symptoms of the disease to stay at home and call for assistance from healthcare professionals and not transport themselves to the clinic.
He mentioned some of those practices to include avoiding coughing on people and not allowing people to cough on you; frequent washing of hands with soap under clean running water; using 70 per cent alcohol content sanitisers or hand scrubs, saying those practices were critical to preventing the highly contagious disease.
He also cautioned against touching the eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands as the virus could be picked from affected surfaces or objects.
Dr Kumah Aboagye also asked the public to stop spitting indiscriminately. People are advised to cover the mouth before coughing or sneezing; if they would do so they have to do it into the inside of the elbow.
“The best way to prevent the illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person. Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet). Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
“These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs or land on surfaces such as tables, chairs, objects, floor etc. and when touched with the hands could be transmitted into the body by touching the nose, mouth and other body openings,” he said.
The director-general also called on religious organisations, employers, educational facilities, event organisers and the general public to invest in hygiene facilities.
He called for the institution of proper hand-washing and alcohol-based sanitising facilities and education on COVID-19 in their places of worship and public places to prevent the spread of the global pandemic.
Norwegian Embassy
A statement issued by the Embassy of Norway in Ghana confirmed that following a member of the embassy staff testing positive for the COVID-19, it had closed down its premises to the public until further notice.
It said the person was in quarantine and the embassy was in close dialogue with Ghana Health Service.
“Routine contact tracing has commenced. All remaining staff are also in home quarantine/self-quarantine, and we are fully committed to assist with containment”.
“The embassy is closed to the public until further notice, but staff are operating from home. We are thankful for the care and assistance offered by Ghana's health authorities and WHO Ghana, and also for the compassion showed. We urge everybody to follow the preventive measures issued by the WHO and Ghanaian authorities,” the embassy said on its official facebook wall.
Closure of selected schools
Three international schools and the United Nations (UN) Agency office in Accra have closed all parts of their facilities after two cases of the viral disease, COVID-19, were confirmed in the country.
This is because one of the cases who visited Turkey is a staff of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UN agencies have asked their workers to work from home.
The schools – Ghana International School (GIS), the German Swiss International School and the Lincoln Community School (LCS) all in Accra – have all announced a two-week closure due to the schools’ close association with one of the COVID-19 patients.
These schools have the children of many expatriates and foreign envoys in the country.
The two cases which originated from Norway and Turkey were confirmed on Thursday by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
First Lady, GAF Open Day
The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who had a long list of itinerary, has cancelled all appointments due to the confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The Ghana Armed Forces has also cancelled its scheduled Open Day programme, usually held after the Independence Day celebration to allow schoolchildren on excursion at garrisons across the country to have a first-hand experience of the military activities.
Health Minister
The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu, who confirmed the cases in a live facebook broadcast last Thursday night, said "both individuals returned to Ghana from Norway and Turkey – so these are imported cases of COVID-19”.
An email to selected parents which is being circulated on social media from the Lincoln Community School, confirmed that it had to close classes 2C, 4C and Grade 7 because a family which served at the Norwegian Embassy in Accra where one of the cases originated from, had children in those classes.
Therefore, the school says the information was a precautionary measure to ensure that the viral disease was not spread in the school.
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