We must protect our health workers from contracting coronavirus - Akufo-Addo

As part of measures to protect all healthcare providers with Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), the government has taken delivery of additional PPEs and more are being procured.

Also, the distribution of seventeen thousand (17,000) coveralls, three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) masks, seventeen thousand (17,000) goggles, two thousand four hundred (2,400) non-contact thermometers, three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) gloves, twenty-five thousand (25,000) sanitizers, and thirty-thousand (30,000) tests kits are ongoing for healthcare personnel and those undertaking contact tracing and testing.

This announcement was made by President Akufo-Addo in his fourth update and address on the coronavirus to Ghanaians.

According to him, it is very important that we protect all healthcare providers with Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to make sure they do not contract the virus in the process of protecting our lives.

Aside from that, the government is recruiting one thousand (1,000) community health workers and an additional thousand (1,000) volunteers to help in this endeavour. One hundred pick-up vehicles and two thousand, five hundred (2,500) tablets have been mobilized for the exercise.

Update

As at the evening of 27 March 2020, fifty-nine (59) COVID-19 cases including four (4) deaths have been confirmed from the regular surveillance systems. All four (4) deaths had underlying chronic medical conditions. Two have recovered and have been discharged. The remaining fifty-three (53) cases are doing well: fourteen (14) are being managed at home. The rest are on admission and responding well to treatment. Greater proportion of those on treatment with mild symptoms and are awaiting repeat of their laboratory tests to inform decision to discharge them.



Majority of the confirmed cases are Ghanaians, who returned home from other affected countries. Seven (7) are of other nationals namely: Norway, Lebanon, China, Netherlands, and United Kingdom. Seventy-eight (78) among the travelers (1,030 in number), who were mandatory quarantined and tested, have tested positive for COVID-19.

In respect of contact tracing, a total of 1,006 contacts have been identified and are being tracked.

Out of these, two hundred and four (204) have completed the 14 days mandatory follow up.