Thoughts Of A Young Ghanaian; What Happens To Suspected Cases Of Covid-19 Outside Accra And Kumasi?

The new strain of the coronavirus which is the covid-19 is causing a lot of talk and unwarranted fear and panic to the extent that it is the trending topic everywhere nowadays.

Unfortunately,our dear Ama Ghana has not been

spared this time around like in the case of Ebola in 

2014 and as at now 9 cases has been reported, albeit imported.

So far,there are only two places in Ghana where tests can be conducted to ascertain if a person has it or not.

Theses two places are in Accra and Kumasi namely Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research.

So what happens to suspected cases of the Covid-19 outside Accra or Kumasi?

Will the individuals with the suspected cases have to travel to the nearest town be it Accra or Kumasi for checks to be conducted?

Won’t they be putting other people they interact with on their way in harms way ?

What happened to the medical drone system that flies medical supplies to places where such supplies where needed?

Couldn’t the blood samples of individuals with suspected cases be taken and flown to either Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research for the tests to be done while the individuals self quarantine? If this is happening already, then it’s either my research didn’t reveal that or we’ve not being told by the authorities.

This is the time the medical drone system will come in handy to help saves lives.

What also happened to opening more testing facilities across the country?

Is it a matter of money or lack of resources be it human or infrastructure?

Is it that the 100 million dollars the President announced during his first televised address concerning the virus on Wednesday,11th March is not readily accessible even though the President said was made available by the minister of Finance?

Has the pledges from our donor partners like the IMF,the World bank and countries in the West also come in to help with the fight against this canker?

I think our approach was lax from the start  as to preparations but as the saying goes better late than never as some measures are in place now.

All we citizens and not spectators of Ghana can do for now is to pray and hope the Government and the health professionals do the right things while we also stick to the precautionary measures that have being widely circulated on mainstream and social media to wit;

-Stay home and refrain from visiting the workplace after travel to an infected city or high-risk country and self-quarantine for 14 days

-Stay home if you had contact with a potentially infected person.

-Refresh ourselves on proper cough and sneeze hygiene.

Cover your nose or mouth with a tissue or your elbow — not your hand — and discard the tissue immediately after.

-Wash our hands regularly.

Proper hand washing remains the best way to prevent transmission of the virus. Wash your hands after using the restroom, touching your face, eating, drinking, coughing, or sneezing, and at regular intervals throughout the day. Use soap and water and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, or the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. Alternatively, 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer is effective as well.

-Stop touching your faces.

Fomites — objects that we commonly touch — are the main way the disease is spreading. Reduce the chance of transmission from a fomite, like a doorknob, by keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth.

-Rely on virtual communication when possible.

In an effort to cut down on human-to-human contact, please cancel in-person meetings and communicate via videoconferencing or phone calls as much as you can.

-Keep a very good hygiene and live healthy* 

Healthy individuals are less susceptible to contracting the coronavirus.Keep yourself healthy by exercising, eating at home if you can, sleeping well and drinking a lot of water.

-Wearing of masks for suspected individuals to stop the spread.

God bless our homeland 🇬🇭!!