The aged is susceptible to new coronavirus infections - Deputy Health Minister

The aged in society remain susceptible to the new wave of COVID-19 infections, Mrs Tina Gifty Naa Ayeley Mensah, the Deputy Minister of Health said on Tuesday.

She reminded all that the pandemic was re-surfacing in the country, and urged particularly the aged to strictly adhere to health safety guidelines to protect themselves and people around them from contracting the deadly virus.

Mr Mensah emphasized that although young people had good immune systems to fight the disease, they could easily pass it on to their parents without showing any symptoms.

The Deputy Minister gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) when she inaugurated a Community-based Health Services (CHPS) Compound at Jachie, a cocoa growing community in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region on Tuesday.

The facility was built by Mrs Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North to provide the people access to ready healthcare services.

Mrs Mensah, also the MP for Gbawe Weija indicated that the government had done its part to control the spread of the pandemic in the country, it behoved the citizenry to continue wearing their nose masks in public places, wash their hands with soap under running water and avoid handshake.

She observed the use of hand sanitizers and social distancing among the populace had reduced for some time now, a situation she noted could trigger the spread of the pandemic and had devastating consequences on the nation.

Mrs Eva Aryee, the Tano North Municipal Director of Health, indicated 74 people had so far contracted with four of them dying from the COVID-19 in the Municipality.

She said though the area had not recorded new infections, and it was better people remained cautious to stem any possible spread of the disease in the Municipality.

On her part, Mrs Prempeh, also the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, advised the Jachie community to change their voting pattern in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) when they go to polls on December 7.

She noted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government had not neglected the people and had brought several development projects in the Municipality including, health and education facilities.

Mrs Prempeh said major road networks, which were in deplorable condition before 2016, had been put in good shape, saying many deprived communities in the area had benefited from potable drinking water and extension of electricity.

Within the past four years, the legislator said she had drilled 100 boreholes, constructed 10 CHPS compounds, 10 community durbars, and several school buildings.

Nana Jonathan Yeboah, the Chief of Jachie, thanked the MP for the CHPS compound and appealed to the government to ensure works on the Duayaw-Nkwanta-Jachie stretch were completed to facilitate the movements of the people and their economic activities.