N/R: 36 staff of Tamale Teaching Hospital quarantine over possible COVID-19 infection

More than thirty staff of the Tamale Teaching hospital (TTH) are currently under quarantine after coming into contact with two of the ten foreign nationals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamale.

The female medical ward where the two were admitted has been closed down for disinfection and all the patients on the ward have been moved into a different ward.

The Public Relations Officer of the TTH, Mohammed Musbawu in an interview with Citi News disclosed that the two, a husband and wife, are said to have passed through an unapproved route from Burkina Faso into Tamale to seek health care at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

He said upon arrival at the hospital the two concealed information of their nationality but saying that they had come from Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

He added that further interrogation revealed they came through Burkina Faso. This prompted the health officials to conduct COVID-19 test which confirmed positive.

Mr. Musbawu further revealed that 36 staff of the facility are in quarantine receiving the necessary attention.

“The staff who came into contact with the Guineans have been quarantined, they are about 36 of them and we are providing them with the necessary psychosocial support just to keep them at peace and assure them that we are with them during these trying times. The people who also came into contact with the patients in the ward are part of the 36 who have been quarantined and the ward has been closed down for disinfection so that it will be safer for other people to use.”

He, however, assured the public not to panic as the hospital is taking the necessary precautions to ensure their safety.

“Patient safety is paramount, it is the reason why we have quarantined our staff and also have assured them that during this period we will provide any assistance they may need. The dialysis machine, for instance, is cleaned anytime someone goes through it whether the person is a COVID-19 patient or not. And the ward like I said has been closed down for disinfection to make it safer for both staff and patients.”

Meanwhile, some residents who spoke to Citi News said they no longer feel safe.

“We heard that Tamale Teaching Hospital has recorded ten cases of the virus and we are afraid because most of us here cannot afford the sanitizers, they are now selling it at very high prices so I am pleading with government and our politicians to come together and help those who can’t afford the sanitizers. I also want to talk about the barriers, from Tamale to Kumasi, Wa and Bolgatanga should be blocked”.

“We are not safe in Tamale. Right now they say they have recorded ten or so cases at Tamale Hospital so living in Tamale we are not safe at all so we will plead with the authorities to do something about it.”

Ghana’s case count for COVID-19 has increased to 152 as of Sunday, March 29, 2020.

This followed the confirmation of 11 new cases by the Ghana Health Service.

Ten (10) of the new cases were among persons who were under mandatory quarantine in Tamale under the direction of the Regional Security Committee of the Northern Region.

The 10 cases involved Guinean residents who travelled through Burkina Faso and Togo to Ghana and were picked following intelligence report.

The eleventh case was recorded in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The 10 Guineans are currently asymptomatic; yet to show signs of COVID-19, but the government says it is collaborating with the relevant authorities in the West African sub-region to send them back to their home country for treatment.

The 10 Guineans who were confirmed COVID-19 positive in Ghana arrived in the country before President Nana Akufo-Addo’s directive for the closure of Ghana’s land, sea and air borders.

The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah made the announcement at the press conference on Sunday where he said the Guineans will be sent back to their home country for treatment.

“The information I have is that the Ghanaian and other West African authorities are completing arrangements so that they can be repatriated to their county of origin so that treatment to take place there. So they will not be treated in this jurisdiction,” he said.

The Ghana Immigration Service had quelled multiple attempts by Ghanaians and foreigners to enter the country illegally following the closure of Ghana’s borders.

Ghana closed its borders recently to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

Addressing the press in Accra on Sunday, the Deputy Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Laud Ofori Afrifa, stated that more and more individuals continue to use parts of the Aflao border to enter the country illegally.

He noted that three Nigerians picked up on Sunday dawn adding that they have been quarantined on a mandatory basis.

Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews