• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Photo Gallery
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Citi TV
Friday, August 19, 2022
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
No Result
View All Result

Dr SF Gyasi writes: Risk of Community Transmission of COVID-19 in Ghana, Tips for Staying Safe.

March 21, 2020
ShareShareShareShare

I write to contribute my quota to nation-building on the COVID-19 discourse in these emergency times. Before I start, permit me to explain some basic terminologies that have been used interchangeably.

Quarantine means you have come into contact with a COVID-19 positive patient but you are not showing any of the symptoms yet. At this stage, you are quarantined. But if you start showing symptoms of the disease, you are isolated whiles your samples get tested. If the test turns up positive, then you are managed at the Isolation centre.

In every pandemic situation such as COVID-19, there are 2 main entry routes into a nation.

These are the vertical transmission route (Imported cases) and horizontal transmission route (Community transmission stage). For vertical transmission, the index patient and all its possible contacts can be traced by Public Health officials and quarantine for 14 days. If within the period, these contacts start showing symptoms of the disease, they can be managed at an isolation centre after their infections status have been confirmed.

However, if the transmission moves from vertical to horizontal, ie, community transmission, then we must brace ourselves for the worse.

Worse not because everybody who gets infected will die, NO, but worse because the transmission pattern gets exponential. When we start getting 100s of transmission on a daily basis, our current non-robust Health System (i.e., Testing of cases and management of same) will crumble down and this is where we have case fatalities especially people with underlined medical conditions like blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even HIV.

At this stage, nosocomial infection (Hospital-acquired infections) are also likely and this is where people begin to lose their lives.

As of today, 21st of March 2020, Ghana is in its horizontal transmission stage and that is why I am worried. The next few weeks will be very critical in Ghana as far as COVID-19 is concerned and we must brace ourselves as a nation for this. I was glad to hear the Government of Ghana’s directive to close down all churches, Mosques, Universities, Senior High Schools, Junior High Schools and Primary Schools.

In addition, the avoidance of crowded areas using social distancing, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and regular washing of hands with soap under running water will all be very helpful at this stage.

But with community transmission setting in, I think we should expect more lockdowns in the coming days. I will advice Ghanaians at this stage to start stocking essential items like food, basic pain killers among many others if we can.

At this point, the best place to stay is home if you don’t have a very urgent matter to attend to (especially Hospitals, Water Companies, Power, etc). Well, it is good to use gloves and alcohol-based hand sanitizers but I am afraid, those items alone cannot safeguard your safety if you neglect regular washing of hands and staying at home (if you don’t belong to the essential
groups).

I will also advise that if you start exhibiting signs of COVID-19 which include coughing, sneezing, mild headaches and difficulty in breathing, don’t try to go to the hospital immediately but stay at home and call any of the emergency numbers provided by the Ministry of Health. Officers will interact with you on the phone and will advise you accordingly.

This is because, on your way to the hospital, you could further spread the virus (especially in taxis, trotros and buses) if you end up turning positive for the disease. Even at the OPD if the hospitals are not expecting you, you could further spread the virus if you turn up positive.

I must admit people who get infected can recover if managed properly so there is no need to fear and panic but we must adhere to safety guidelines being offered by the Ministry of Health so we do not escalate the numbers. The fatality of these infections lies in escalating the number of new infections on a daily basis.

The only way we can fight this disease is by breaking the chain of infection and each and everyone has a role to play.

May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.

Source: Dr SF Gyasi
Tags: Coronavirus in GhanaCoronavirus outbreakGhana NewsOpinion
Previous Post

Government sets up ICU to treat complicated COVID-19 cases

Next Post

Mahama debunks ‘fake news’ reports of Eric Opoku selection as running mate

Next Post
Mahama

Mahama debunks 'fake news' reports of Eric Opoku selection as running mate

TOP STORIES

Vincent Assafuah, Hopeson Adorye appear before NPP Complaints Committee

August 19, 2022

Police commence investigation into Katanga and Conti clash

August 19, 2022

Local currency crosses ¢10 to one dollar mark on retail market

August 19, 2022
Load More
ADVERTISEMENT
Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana

CitiNewsroom.com is Ghana's leading news website that delivers high quality innovative, alternative news that challenges the status quo.

Archives

Download App

Download

Download

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Photo Gallery
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Citi TV

© 2021 All Rights Reserved Citi Newsroom.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos

© 2021 All Rights Reserved Citi Newsroom.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT