Consider every person you meet as a coronavirus patient - Prof. Richard Odame Phillips

To encourage personal preventive etiquette against the spread of the coronavirus disease, the Scientific Director of the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research (KCCR), Prof. Richard Odame Phillips, has urged the public to see everyone as a COVID-19 patient.

He explained that with this sense of awareness, one should be able to at all times apply the personal preventive measures such as social distancing, avoidance of handshakes, regular washing of hands with soap and use of sanitizer, on coming into contact with people.

He said while efforts continue to stop and contain the spread of the disease, taking individual responsibility for one’s own health is the first step towards winning the fight against the disease.

Prof. Odame Phillips observed that strict adherence to the health protocols while helping to stop the spread of the disease will also ensure that the current health infrastructure overwhelmed with cases.

The Scientific Director of KCCR, who was speaking at the presentation of a mobile laboratory van by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the GIZ, to the facility, acknowledged the commitment to increase the testing of exposed persons.

Against this, he said the provision of the mobile laboratory vans by the GRA with logistical support from the GIZ would significantly contribute to enhancing testing capabilities of the KCCR.

The mobile laboratory van, he said, would be used to target harder to reach communities and districts in order to deepen accessibility to laboratory services and testing.

“With the mobile laboratory, we will be able to visit hotspots of the disease and people who have little access to diagnostic testing, this van will be able to reach them so that they don’t have to travel all the way to KCCR for such testing,” he stated.

The advice to the public comes at the time Ghana’s COVID-19 cases have crossed 20,000.

The provision of the two mobile laboratory vans was reached through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the three organisations.

The GRA said it is making available two mobile laboratory vans as well as a team to man the operations whereas the GIZ will also provide logistical support. The KCCR, on the other hand, will be in charge of the operations.