KATH staff reportedly dies, another on admission after contracting coronavirus

A health worker at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has died after contracting the deadly Coronavirus, officials say.

Although management will not give full details of the recorded fatality, it says a number of its staff have recovered from the virus too.

“As at the last check, Komfo Anokye has had 140 people who have tested positive. I think the cumulative figure as at this week, came to about 170”, said Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso, CEO of the facility adding that: “but in all this, about 70% of them have come back to work.”

He continued: “In fact, the recovery rate is very fast giving the fact that as I speak, we have lost sadly one of our staff, but beyond that currently we have only one staff who is been admitted. For all these numbers of most of them have been taken care of from home and from their own self-isolation.”

COVID-19 kills nine Ghanaian health workers; infects 779 others

At least nine health workers in Ghana have so far succumbed to COVID-19 related infections as of June 30, 2020.

A joint statement issued by the Health Sector Unions and Professional Associations said a total of 779 health workers have so far been infected with the contagion since Ghana first recorded it in mid-March.

This translates into six health sector workers getting infected each day since Ghana recorded its first two cases on March 12, 2020.

“As at 30th June 2020, over seven hundred and seventy-nine (779) health workers had contracted the COVID-19 virus in the line of duty with a total of nine (9) deaths have occurred so far. A large number of health workers are also currently in isolation awaiting their test results after having been exposed to the virus at their places of work.”

“The data gathered so far indicates that; 190 members of the GMA (Doctors) have contracted the virus with 4 unfortunate deaths. 410 members of the GRNMA and its Allied Associations (Nurses and Midwives) have contracted the virus with 1 unfortunate death. 156 members of the HSWU have contracted the virus with 3 unfortunate deaths. 23 members of the GHOSPA have contracted the virus with 1 unfortunate death,” the statement revealed.

Lack of PPE

Like many countries, Ghana is grappling with a severe shortage of PPE for its workers, especially at peripheral health facilities.

The country’s Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu, for instance, had said at a press briefing in Accra that the government has selected some companies to locally produce some personal protective kits as announced by President Akufo-Addo.

The companies are to produce a total of 3.6 million masks which will be distributed across the country.

General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives’ Association, wants government to prioritize safety of health workers, especially in community health facilities at high-risk areas.

“We believe that government has a responsibility of providing the necessary logistics in terms of PPE and not focusing at the isolation centres but decentralizing the items to even periphery… But we are talking to our members to practice the universal precautions of infection prevention,” Dr Tenkorang, who was speaking on Accra-based Joy FM stressed.