COVID – 19: Follow testing criteria – Medical Director advises citizens

The Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo, has urged people who turn up at the hospital for voluntary testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to stop asking for early testing.

Rather, he said, they should submit themselves to the national protocols.

"The current national criteria for testing for the COVID-19 are that the person reporting must have a history of travel, cough, fever with a temperature of 38 degrees celcius and be sneezing. When these are seen in the person, and based on his/her medical historical, we’ll take his or her samples for testing," he said.

Minister tours

Dr Srofenyo made the call when the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah, paid a working visit to the hospital, which serves as one of the holding centres for COVID-19 patients in the country, yesterday.

The visit formed part of efforts being made to ensure that institutions adhere to strict sanitation requirements that have been outlined to help contain the COVID-19.

Follow protocols

During the visit, it came to light that some people go to the hospital and demand to be tested early to know their COVID-19 status, but Dr Srofenyo said there was no point in people insisting on early testing for the virus.

"Some people run in here and want to be tested for the COVID-19, but we are saying that they must follow the national criteria for testing because if we test them early, it may be negative and that may give a false impression," he stressed.

He noted that the complexities involved in handling the pandemic required members of the public to give health professionals maximum cooperation to scale the challenge.

Updates on CIVID-19 patients

Touching on the status of the confirmed COVID-19 cases quarantined at the hospital, he said the two patients were in stable condition.

“The national protocol is that if the person tests positive for the virus, the person will be tested again in seven days to see if there is a change. From there, we continue to monitor the person until he or she is declared fit to go home,” he said.

He explained that the hospital was providing supportive care for the patients, which meant that “we are supporting patients with infusions and multivitamins to strengthen their immunity, so that they can fight the virus themselves.”

Observations

It was observed that there was adequate flow of water at the hospital.

Stringent preventive mechanisms, including social distancing, hand-washing with soap under running water and regular use of hand sanitiser had been put in place at the health facility.

People who went to the hospital for medical attention were made to maintain a considerable distance from one another and encouraged to wash their hands at the entrance of the facility.

There were hand sanitisers at all areas of the hospital for visitors and patients to use.

Sanitation minister

Ms Dapaah said she was impressed with the sanitation situation at the facility and urged the management to maintain the standard.

She reiterated the need for members of the public to adhere to instructions strictly from health professionals on how to prevent the COVID-19.

“I want to stress that hand-washing should be strictly adhered to, in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard that says it should be done under running water for 20 seconds,” she said.

Background

Following the confirmation of six COVID-19 cases in Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directed that ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), state and private institutions, faith-based organisations (FBOs) and members of the public should suspend public activities for the next four weeks as a measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among other things, he directed that all public gatherings, including conferences, workshops, funerals, festivals, political rallies, sporting events and religious activities, such as services in churches and mosques, be suspended for the next four weeks.

Related articles: 

COVID-19: Ghana records 7th confirmed Coronavirus case

Coronavirus: Ghana Police to keep distance in dealing with public

Mikel Obi quits Turkish club over coronavirus fears