The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong has called on leaders of Faith-Based Organizations, Traditional authorities, Market Queens, and Transport Organizations to intensify educating their members on the COVID -19 protocols. He also charged the security personnel to enforce the protocol governing the pandemic to the latter to reduce spread.
He made this comment at a Public Health Emergency Management Committee meeting on COVID -19 at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council on Tuesday, the 10th of August, 2021.
According to him, the meeting was necessary following the current upsurge of COVID-19 Delta Variant causing more hospitalization and deaths in the country. He added that the region has had some spots of infection especially in some Senior High Schools in the Kwahu West Municipality; as such, there was the need for all to come on board and share ideas for the good of the region.
The minister expressed concern about nightlife activities in Koforidua and Akropong, where people disregard the safety protocols on COVID-19 as if the virus was not in existence.
The Eastern Regional Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Winfred Ofosu stated that there has been a lot of meeting with a lot of surveillance as well as contact tracing but the challenge was that many people in the region were not observing the safety protocols.
He pointed out that vaccination has not been carried out by all in the region and for that matter observing the COVID-19 safety protocols would minimize the rate of transmission and infection.
Dr. John Ekow Otoo, the Deputy Director of Public Health, in a presentation stated that the Eastern Region has recorded 2,555 positive cases this year with a total of 191 active cases, the case fatality was 2.1% and the age ranged from 29-94 years. He indicated that more health workers and students have been infected and the hospitals did not have enough quarantine facilities, thus, isolation was done in the homes.
He mentioned some challenges of the regional health administration in fighting the menace: These were; lack of logistics to manage COVID 19 cases, non-adherence to COVID 19 safety protocols in the communities, feeding of positive persons in isolation centers, access to an ambulance to refer COVID 19 positive cases, lack of space in communities for isolation and quarantine of cases, toiletries, lack of ventilators among others.
Dr. John Ekow Otoo gave out some measures to solve the situation and they were; security agencies should support the enforcement of mask-wearing, the national ambulance should delegate ambulances for COVID 19 cases, Regional Coordinating Council should make available PPEs as well as tablets for data management and other logistics such as sample kits, equipment, ventilators, etc.
Members of the committee unanimously suggested measures such as periodic fumigation of public places, sensitization programs, and enforcement of the COVID-19 safety protocols to stop the spread of the Delta Variant.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/RCC
