The World Health Organization is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staff after a new study showed the coronavirus can survive in the air in some settings. The virus is transmitted through droplets, or little bits of liquid, mostly through sneezing or coughing, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, told reporters during a virtual news conference on Monday. “When you do an aerosol-generating procedure like in a medical care facility, you have the possibility to what we call aerosolize these particles, which means they can stay in the air a little bit longer.” She added: “It’s very important that health-care workers take additional precautions when they’re working on patients and doing those procedures.” World health officials say the respiratory disease spreads through human-to-human contact, droplets carried through sneezing and coughing as well as germs left on inanimate objects. The coronavirus can go airborne, staying suspended in the air depending on factors such as heat and humidity, they said. Kerkhove said health officials are aware of several studies in a number of countries looking at the different environmental conditions that COVID-19 can persist. Scientists are specifically looking at how humidity, temperature and ultraviolet lighting affects the disease as well as how long it lives on different surfaces, including steel, she said. Health officials use the information to make sure WHO’s guidance is appropriate, and “so far … we are confident that the guidance that we have is appropriate,” she added. Health officials recommend medical staff wear so-called N95 masks because they filter out about 95% of all liquid or airborne particles. “In health-care facilities, we make sure health-care workers use standard droplet precautions with the exception … that they’re doing an aerosol-generating procedure,” she said. WATCH NOWVIDEO01:01Wondering if insurance will cover the coronavirus – here is what you need to know Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Congress last month that the agency was aggressively evaluating how long COVID-19 can survive, particularly on surfaces. “On copper and steel, it’s pretty typical, it’s pretty much about two hours,” Redfield said at a House hearing. “But I will say on other surfaces — cardboard or plastic — it’s longer, and so we are looking at this.” Redfield added infections contracted from surfaces rather than through the air could have contributed to the outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Separately, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that there’s been a rapid escalation of COVID-19 cases over the past week, adding, “we have not seen an urgent enough escalation in testing, isolation and contact tracing, which is the backbone of the response.” “We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test. Test every suspected case, if they test positive, isolate them and find out who they have been in contact with two days before they developed symptoms and test those people, too,” Tedros said. Source: Joy Online
How the man who reportedly died of coronavirus in Ghana was buried in Kumasi (video)
Ghana’s first victim associated with the coronavirus pandemic was buried on Sunday, March 22 by youth in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi based on his religion. Clothed in hazmat suits and carrying disinfectant sprayers, the young men transported the deceased to the cemetery, observed the Islamic prayers, and laid him to rest in the company of some health officials. 61-year-old Tarek Minkara, a resident of Kumasi was a spare parts dealer and a popular figure in Kumasi. His death was announced by the Ghana Health Service as the first in connection with the fast-spreading disease. Deputy Health Minister, Alex Abban communicated the unfortunate news in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM. Despite having Lebanese origin, Mr Minkara was born and lived all his life in Ghana with his nuclear family. Family rejects coronavirus claim Although there have been direct linkages of the coronavirus to Mr Minkara’s death, a source close to the family told GhanaWeb that claims that he died of the deadly virus are false and should be disregarded. According to the source, Tarek had been battling illness for the past three months and could not have died of the virus. It listed pneumonia as one of the sicknesses that plagued Tarek and possibly led to his death. Social media activity Tarek’s last social media activity was on October 23, 2019. He updated his profile photo with a picture of himself with the flag of Lebanon on his face. Social media reactions On Facebook, some friends and family paid tribute to the 61-year-old entrepreneur. A post by one Facebook user described him as a ‘brother and one of a kind’. Source: Ghanaweb.com
“They will create the virus themselves and pretend to take their time to find the solution when they already have it.”| Muammar Gaddafi
As Coronavirus reaches the African continent – and threatens to overwhelm it. Africa is having to fight against the arrival of COVID-19, With the world’s largest concentration of people with HIV which is another Global pandemic. The outbreak of the coronavirus has seen a lot of blame-games between the United States of America and China. The Chinese are blaming America for the spread of the virus. The deputy director of Foreign Ministry Information Department and Spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, tweeted that “it might be the US army” that brought the coronavirus to China whilst Donald Trump, President of the United States also constantly refer to COVID-19 as a “Chinese Virus”. Trump has, quite clearly, crossed out “corona” before “virus” and replaced it with the word “Chinese.” That attempted narrative shift is beyond question. What appears to be up for some debate is whether or not Trump’s rhetorical change reflects him simply using proper geographic labeling — the coronavirus did emerge from the Wuhan province — or whether it is part of a broader attempt to drive xenophobic sentiment toward China. In the wake of this back and forth, Our research team came across a very strong statement made by Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi, a former Revolutionary Libyan President and Pan-Africanist. In a speech delivered during his prime years of leadership, Gaddafi stated that there are people who specialize in creating health problems just to make money, irrespective of the danger it poses to human existence. According to him, “they will create the virus themselves and they will sell the antidotes afterwards, pretending to take their time to find the solution when they already have it.” This moment of COVID-19 the pandemic spreading across and killing many people coupled with the emerging accusations is the right time to start a conversation on these thoughts of Gaddafi, especially when the virus has started spreading in Africa. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has always been that leader who finds it very difficult to believe in the truthfulness of people who once decided to share and evade the territories of Africa, loot resources to build their nation and brutalize its people in addition. Known to be very protective of the African culture, a promoter of African unity and a strong critic of foreign ideologies and the manner and strategies with which the powers manipulate the world, He has never held back on his words when speaking against social ills. Many of the things Gaddafi use to be critical about in the past, most of which were ignored seem to be manifesting today. Even though Africa has not yet been hit hard by the Virus as other Continents,World Health Organisation (WHO) have warned that the coronavirus could devastate Africa. If the covid-19 gains a solid foothold, Africa could quickly replace Europe as the new center of the pandemic. Many African countries lack the infrastructure and personnel needed to fight a deadly outbreak. Warning of “critical gaps in readiness,” the WHO has assured the African Union that it will do its part. It has already geared up monitoring and evaluation on the continent, but that’s only a first step. The WHO’s regional director for Africa recently warned that the Covid-19 has “cast a spotlight on the shortcomings in health systems in the African region.” So far, the number of reported infections in Africa is still low compared with Europe and China. And the situation could change swiftly. It has been reported that human trials of the Vaccine will begin imminently – but even if they go well and a cure is found, there are many barriers before global immunisation is feasible Gaddafi may be far gone but his thoughts are still relevant today. What do you make of his view? Source: weloveafrica.net
KSM mocks prophets over coronavirus
Popular comedian Kwaku Sintim-Misa (KSM) has mocked Ghanaian prophets over why God didn’t reveal the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to them long before now. In a sarcastic Twitter post on Saturday, he wondered why some of them were able to declare Ghana’s 2020 election results but not the pandemic. “Dear God, on the 31st, you told your prophets about the results of the 2020 election, but you forgot to mention that corona was coming? Oh why? GOD: I am surprised some of u still trust those LYING CLOWNS (laughs),” he posted on Twitter. COVID-19 has so far killed thousands around the world, with many others still being infected. Ghana has so far recorded 21. The number of active cases now is 20, as one person has died. Government has put in place a number of measures to curb the spread of the virus in Ghana; one being the quarantining of all passengers disembarking at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). President Akufo-Addo also announced the closure of Ghana’s borders on Sunday midnight, as well as a called for national fasting and prayers to God to help humanity in time like this. Source: Ghana Web
Couple Hold Simple Wedding Amid Public Gathering Ban – VIDEO
Couple Hold Simple Wedding Amid Public Gathering Ban – VIDEO A Ghanaian couple has held their wedding amid the ban on public gatherings which is currently being enforced in the country. President Nana Akufo-Addo, on March 15, 2020, placed a ban on all public and social gatherings including funerals and weddings. In his directive, Akufo-Addo ordered any gathering should not have more than 25 people at any point in time. The directive which was part of measures to help stop the spread of Coronavirus in the country has hit hard at many people and some have even postponed their weddings and other events which would have attracted many people. But for one couple, they have decided to go ahead and hold their wedding in what could be described as Ghana’s first Coronavirus wedding. In a video from the wedding, the couple is seen seated in the front row with a few people seated behind them. The officiating pastor who sat right opposite the couple was heard offering some pieces of advice to the newlyweds who were beautifully dressed in their wedding outfits. On the other side of the building were a few other people who had also come to support the new couple. In total, there were about 20 people at the ceremony including the couple and the priest. VIDEO- Source: Peace FM Online
Court stops Ghana card registration exercise in Eastern Region
An Accra High Court presided over by Justice Daniel Mensah has granted the application for an interlocutory injunction stopping the National Identification Authority (NIA) from continuing with its Eastern Region registration exercise. A businessman, Prince Henry Tabi, and twenty-nine (29) others instituted the action against the NIA after the State institution failed to comply with the 15th of March 2020 Executive orders of President Akufo-Addo, that suspended all public gatherings in Ghana for four weeks due to the Covid-19 pandemic currently sweeping across the world with Ghana currently recording twenty-four (24) cases. Moving the exparte application in Court Monday morning, the lawyer for the applicants, Justice Srem Sai, told the Court that the actions of the NIA represent a total disregard for the orders of the President and order of the Court to restrain the National Identification Authority cannot be overemphasized. Justice Daniel Mensah’s Court in its ruling granted the interlocutory injunction for the next ten (10) days. The applicants are at liberty to repeat the application on notice to the NIA within the ten days period of the current interlocutory injunction that has been granted. The lead applicant in the matter, Prince Tabi, in an interview after the Court hearing said he decided to come to Court because the actions of the NIA could have resulted in the loss of innocent lives in the Eastern Region if they proceeded with the registration exercise. He expressed deep satisfaction with the decision of the High Court to place an injunction on the NIA even though they have already called off the Eastern Region exercise. Source: Ghana Web
COVID-19: Ghana Records 25 More Cases; 52 Confirmed Now!
Ghana’s coronavirus cases have risen astronomically to 52 according to Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu. He made this disclosure at a press conference on Tuesday, March 24. According to him, the 25 new cases are imported cases from the 1,030 people who are under mandatory self-quarantine in some hotels in Accra. According to the Health Minister, 1,030 people werequarantined after they arrived in the country on Sundayand Monday.Samples were taken from 611 people and out of 185 ofthe samples tested 25 tested positive for COVID-19.More tests are still being carried out.A total number of 1,030 travelers have been quarantinedin Ghana, the National Security revealed on Tuesday.An official of the national security O.B Dickson at apress conference said a psychologist has also beenemployed to counsel all those in quarantine at thevarious isolation centers in the capital.Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo announced in anaddress to the nation that all borders – air, land and sea– will be closed to human traffic from Sunday midnightin a bid to contain the Covid-19 disease.“This closure will not apply to goods, supplies andcargo,” he said in the address.He said anybody who arrives in the country within thenext two weeks will undergo “mandatory quarantine”and tested for the coronavirus.According to Immigration officials, 21 persons havebeen arrested on the Elubo border for attempting toenter Ghana illegally. More details soon . . . Source: Peace Fm Online
Coronavirus: 1,200 people put under mandatory quarantine – Presidential Advisor on Health
As part of stringent measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, some 1,200 persons who recently entered Ghana have been put on quarantine. Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, said affected persons on the mandatory quarantine include Ghanaians or foreigners with a residence permit, who entered the country before the closure of the borders on the midnight of Sunday, March 23, 2020. Speaking in Twi on Asempa FM’s ‘Ekosii Sen’, the former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service said, all persons placed on mandatory quarantine are currently lodging in hotels. They will be in quarantine for the next 14 days, he said. According to him, although the move was expensive, it was necessary to prevent the importation of the virus into the country. “It is a very difficult thing to do but we have to save the country,” he added. President Nana Akufo-Addo directed the mandatory quarantine of the travellers during his third broadcast on Ghana’s protocol to fight the virus, on the evening of Saturday, March 22, 2020. According to some of the travellers who spoke to JoyNews, they were not informed about the development prior to arriving in the country until they got to the arrival hall of Terminal 3. The passengers said they were surprised to see the hall swarmed with senior government officials as well as health officers. The 14-day quarantine at the unnamed hotels, according to Dr Nsiah Asare, “is at government’s cost because we want to save everybody in this country.’ Unnecessary parallel NDC team Commenting on a team of professionals announced by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to help government’s efforts against the spread of the virus, Dr Nsiah Asare said the opposition party was dabbling in mere gimmick. He said the technical team put together by the opposition was unnecessary. “What is it necessary for,” he quizzed, stressing that the existing protocol put together by the state was competent. “We should stop this politics, and politics and politics. It pains me, I become so much distressed when I see that everything in this country is politicised. If you have ideas, send it to the President, I don’t believe that the opposition leaders cannot call the President or a Minister of Health,” he added. NDC’s team Former President John Mahama announced the NDC’s technical team to collaborate with the government in combating the coronavirus pandemic. According to the former President, the team is made up of experts from the various fields that are required to implement a national action plan on COVID-19. “I have already announced that the NDC is committed to assisting government in this fight by availing all technical and logistical resources at our disposal. As evidence of our seriousness in that respect, we have assembled a technical team to guide our efforts and to lead the NDC’s response to the evolving situation,” Mr. Mahama said at a service held by the party to end a three-day fasting and prayer direction on behalf of the nation. Below is the list of the members of NDC’s COVID-19 response team 1. Nana Kofi Quakyi (Assitant Professor in Public Health/Specialist in Health Economics) 2. Dr. Vida Yarkong (PhD in Interdisciplinary Medicine) 3. Dr. Prosper Akanbong- Immediate Past CEO of Tamale Teaching Hospital and Physician Consultant. 4. Dr. Jehu Appiah: Senior Medical Consultant and former General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association 5. Prosper Bani- Former Minister of Interior and former Head of UNDP’s Crisis Prevention and Recovery Team for Africa’s. 6. Dr. Zanetor Rawlings- Medical Doctor 7. Alex Segbefia: former minister of Health 8. Mintah Akando- Ranking member on the parliamentary committee of Heath 9. Prof. Margaret Kweku- UHAS 10. Dr Jonas Asamoah- Public Health Expert, Hawa Memorial Hospital, Osiem. 11. Mrs. Mawuena Trebarh – (Communications Specialist) NCB-HQ Coronavirus update Three persons have died from the coronavirus in Ghana as of Monday, March 23. The Ghana Health Service has yet to give details about the deceased but said three new cases have been recorded, bringing Ghana’s total number to 27. In an update on its website, the Service said a total of 521 suspected cases have been tested for COVID-19 by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR). All the remaining 25 confirmed cases are receiving treatment in isolation, the Service added. Source: Joy Online
Gifty Anti shares experience in ‘compulsory quarantine’
As Ghana is making everything possible to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus pandemic among its citizens, Gifty Anti, a broadcaster, has opened up on how she is surviving under ‘compulsory quarantine’ following the directive by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The Stand Point Host, who described the situation as “uncomfortable” but very “necessary” explained in a post on her Facebook timeline that when she returned to the country via a British Airways (BA) flight on Sunday with other passengers, “No one. Absolutely no one was allowed to go home or see relatives who had come to meet them”. According to her, the National Security Minister, his deputy, BNI director and other security operatives, as well as the police, military and health professionals were all at the airport to ensure that no one escapes. She said, immediately they arrived at the airport, they were screened and after they picked their luggage, they waited to be bused to a hotel where they were to be quarantined. She added, “This morning, I opened my door and the military guy on the floor said, ‘Madam please go back inside’. “Well, I was just looking!!! So, they leave the food at your door, knock and leave. No human contact. The only human contacts are the fully PPE clothed health officials who come to take our samples for testing. Quite an uncomfortable process, though very necessary.” She noted “Ghana is taking this seriously and we the citizens must take it seriously too. It’s not fun to be under compulsory quarantine but it is very necessary!!!” Read Gifty Anti’s full post below: Background President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, ordered the closure of Ghana’s borders from Sunday, March 22, 2020. This is to help reduce further spread of the Coronavirus infection rate in the country. “Anybody who comes into the country, before midnight on Sunday, will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus,” the president directed. Source: Ghana Web
All beaches in Ghana closed to fight Coronavirus
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has ordered the immediate closure of all beaches across Ghana as part of measures to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This, according to the GTA is part of measures to avoid the spread of the COVID-19. >>>GET CORONAVIRUS UPDATES HERE <<< A statement issued by GTA said with the support of the National Security and the Ghana Police Service, it would be patrolling all the beaches from Tuesday, March 24, 2020, to ensure compliance. “The GTA hereby orders all beaches to be closed to the public until further notice. The GTA with the support of National Security and the Ghana Police Service will begin patrols of the beaches from Tuesday, 24th March 2020, to ensure compliance with the closure order.” Below is a copy of the statement: Source: https://www.graphic.com.gh/
