The Northern regional director of the Ghana Health Services (GHS), Dr. John Bertson Eleeza, has stressed the need for the public to collaborate with GHS and state agencies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, the collaboration with authorities will help curb the issues affecting lives and the economy of Ghana, and failure to do so could derail progress already made.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is just like any other disease infection such as malaria and the common cold that people usually experience, and so there is no need for people to fear but just adhere to the precautionary directives to avoid getting infected – as well as desist from stigmatising persons infected with the virus,” he said.
Dr. Eleeza, updating the media on COVID-19 in the region, noted that the region recorded 10 confirmed cases of the pandemic virus which involved some West African nationals from Burkina Faso and Guinea.
“From the 10 cases that were recorded, about 72 persons including some healthcare workers at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, security officers and some nine individuals in the Tamale metropolis were isolated following the contact-tracing exercise,” he said.
Also, some 247 rumour cases reported have been investigated by the appropriate officers and all were proven negative, while the medical officers at TTH quarantined have also tested negative. He said the results of 19 suspected COVID-19 cases in the region are pending and will soon be released when ready.
He also expressed worry about the rate at which the social distance directives are not being adhered to by the residents and therefore urged them to continue observing precautionary measures to help contain the disease.
He reiterated that the regional health directorate and health officers are making efforts to ensure the safety of citizens, adding that healthcare workers in the region are safe and adequately equipped to discharge their duties to the state.
