We are capable of tackling COVID-19 - Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the facilities and set-ups put in place at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for checking suspected cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The President expressed his satisfaction after going through the necessary screenings, medical check-ups and scanning at the Quarantine Room for the COVID-19 at the KIA upon his arrival from the European Tour.

The President later visited the Disease Infectious Centre at the Ridge Hospital and Tema General Hospital to observe the isolation centres and was happy with the measures put in place by the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health to promptly deal with suspected cases of the disease.

President Akufo-Addo was accompanied by Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Presidential Advisor on Health and other government officials.

At the Airport, Mr Yaw Kwakwa, the Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, took the President to the Quarantine Room and explained the various processes passengers who returned from China and other countries went through to check whether they exhibited symptoms of the disease or not.

At the Ridge Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo, the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ridge Hospital, briefed the President and his entourage on the processes patients who showed symptoms of the virus went through at the isolation centre.

He said the medical officers observed if patients showed symptoms of fever, coughing, sneezing, respiratory challenges and high temperature up to 38 Degrees Celsius, which correctly fitted the case definition of the disease. They also take a throat swab for testing.

Dr Srofenyo said the Disease Infectious Centre at the Hospital had so far tested 17 suspected cases of the COVID-19 and they had all proven negative per the results.

However, there was one patient (an Airline Operator) whose laboratory result was yet to be received from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and was currently on admission at the Ghana-Canada Hospital, a private health facility, he said.

The Medical Director at the Hospital said in case a person tested positive of the disease, there was another isolated place to take care of the patient, in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

Dr Srofenyo said the centre was established five years ago during the Ebola outbreak in the West African sub-region with funding from the Bank of Ghana and the Hospital’s internally-generated funds.

The centre has its own unit and so each patient did not share his/her unit with anyone, whilst nurses who attended to patients dressed in overall gowns to safeguard their safety.

“Therefore, when the samples of the patients are taken and tested, the final results determine the next action”.

The COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan in the Hubei Province, the epicenter in China late last year and has so far claimed about 3,000 lives and 100,000 reported infected cases worldwide.