Coronavirus: Doctor warns of infection through cash

A Medical Specialist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Hospital, Dr. Ivy Darkwa, is cautioning against people letting their guard down as the COVID-19 restrictions are being eased.

She said the flu-like symptom is gradually disappearing taking a new shape of infection, warning that infected people should not wait till when they experience flu.

Dr. Darkwa who is a frontline health worker at one of the COVID-19 isolation centers said places like the market, ATM machines, salons and barbershops are becoming the new hotspots for the transmission of the virus.

In a video circulating on social media, the medical officer who is a Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon said the majority of the new Covid-19 positive patients at her facility have been careless at those places.

“I encourage the females to carry their rubbing alcohol when they visit the market and spray the rubber bags used in packaging the items purchased before taking them home. When you go to the salon, carry your own towels, insist that the hairdresser is in a face mask and you are also in a face mask,” she said.

Dr. Darkwa again cautioned against the handling of cash without proper precautionary measures.

“When you visit the ATMs, carry your own rubbing alcohol, the money you take from the ATM spray it with rubbing alcohol before using it. A lot of bankers and tellers are turning positive, just today I have to deal with three big banks, two in Accra and one in Kumasi,” she said.

She also noted that the symptoms associated with the virus were changing thus people should not wait till they have flu-like signs before deciding to visit the hospital.

“So what I will encourage is that if you see any change of smell and loss of taste, kindly go to the hospital. I will encourage us to still take our vitamin C 1000ml once a day. Eat a good balanced diet, more vegetables, stop or reduce alcohol intake, exercise and anytime you feel unwell just report to the hospital… don’t forget to wear a face mask,” she added. “Don’t take the Covid-19 infection lightly, it is real and the numbers are soaring. Let us not say the mortality rate is low.”

Ghana has so far recorded over 12,500 COVID-19 cases with 66 deaths as at June 17, 2020.