Government allocates GHC2.5 million for coronavirus preparedness

The Government has allocated GHC2.5 million for the implementation of the coronavirus initial response preparedness plan, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health said on Wednesday.

He said the Ministry of Health has initiated a process to procure 10,000 pieces of personal protective equipment to augment what was already in store for use by all front-line workers, while it further pursues an arrangement to procure insurance cover for all these persons.

These he said, were part of the measures being put in place to strengthen surveillance and prevention of the outbreak and spread of the disease from China and other risk countries.

"We are in this together and therefore call on private sector and development partners to give their support to our national effort in this period of preparedness," he said.

The Health Minister disclosed this at a media briefing in Accra, to update Ghanaians on the MOH’s preparedness to contain the coronavirus infection should Ghana detect any case.

Mr Agyeman-Manu said the records from the WHO shows that the virus has evidence of human-to-human transmission, with the number of cases sharply increasing to thousands with several deaths.

The incubation period ranges from two to 14 days, and there was evidence that the infection may be contagious during and prior to the onset of symptoms and possibly also several days after recovery.

The Health Minister said currently there is no vaccine and prevention was mainly adherence to couch and sneezing etiquette and improved personal hygiene such as regular hand-washing with soap and water.

He said the Government was also discussing various traveling regulations with the required authorities and partners, but advised Ghanaian business community who ply their trade to and from China to suspend or delay their travels to these areas for a while if such engagements were not critical.

Dr Badu Sarkodie, the Head, Centre for Disease Control said surveillance centers have been opened in the Northern, Middle and Southern zones, and advised the public to minimize their contacts with persons who had just returned from China or counties that had recorded cases of the Coronavirus infection.