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A man who wears a mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus takes his temperature at a small medical center specialized in respiratory diseases in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The vast majority of people recover from the new coronavirus. (AP Photo / Martin Mejia)
The battle continues as Ghana and the rest of the world relentlessly continue to contain, eradicate, and finally break free from the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ghanaian government has implemented several interventions after the inopportune arrival of the coronavirus in the country.
After the first two positive cases were recorded on March 12, 2020, schools, churches, mosques, and other public places were closed. Other physical distancing protocols have been encouraged, such as being at least a meter away from other people and avoiding crowded places to reduce the speed of spread.
Partial blockages were applied at one point and regular hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers and alcohol-based masks appear to have been adopted by Ghanaians without any problem.
Previous measures aimed at reducing the spread of the virus have achieved some results. What Ghanaians should be concerned about are two main challenges that inhibit the progress of the Covid-19 fight; testing of suspicious persons and notification of new cases.
Evidence of suspicious people.
The availability of few test centers for Covid -19 in Ghana poses a great challenge in the fight against Covid -19. Until very recently, there were only two rest centers; Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research.
These two centers were unable to analyze more than 2000 samples daily, creating a backlog of evidence and a later delay in results.
Aggressive government testing and contact tracing is a commendable and emulate-worthy move to hunt down and fight the virus.
However, if Ghana’s Covid-19 case count, currently at 2,169, has led to the tracking and testing of more than 100,000 contacts, then the number of contacts needed to be tested can be estimated if Ghana’s case count reaches 5,000 and more.
The more contacts are tracked and tested, the more test results are delayed because our test centers do not have the ability to analyze large samples in one day.
The activation of three other test centers by the government (National Public Health Reference Lab, Korle Bu, the Department of Veterinary Services, and the Industrial Research Council) is good news, but more needs to be added.
The test centers should spread out at the gates of the Ghanaians because if Ghana reaches the peak period of this pandemic (peak because we prepare for the worst as we hope for the best), these test centers would be overwhelmingly flooded with test samples.
As noted above, the absence of more test centers has explained the delay in test results. Currently, it takes two to three weeks to receive sample test results. This has a devastating impact in the fight against Covid -19 since patients who finally test positive would have developed severe symptoms of the disease, making their recovery an impossible mirage. This has resulted in the current increase in Covid deaths -19. Two weeks ago, a patient died at Bawku Presbyterian Hospital before his result came out after almost three weeks after the test, which eventually sadly turned positive.
There is an urgent need for the government to expedite the installation and activation of the Covid-19 test centers so that the test results can be delivered the same day after the test without having to queue for days. The ability to publish the test results in the shortest possible time after the test (preferably the same day) would make patients remain asymptomatic, facilitating healing and recovery, and subsequently reducing the mortality rate of the disease.
Report of positive cases.
Since Ghana reached more than 600 cases of Covid -19, the Minister of Information, Hon. Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah, indicated that the then, and the consequent increase in the number of positive cases are the results of the accumulation of tests carried out. Isn’t it oddly ridiculous how Ghana still owes workers arrears and is now behind on the Covid-19 test results?
However, assuming Ghana test centers have a testing capacity of 2,000 samples per day, the teat results for these samples must be available within 6 hours of testing. Why then, cannot the Ghana Health Service (GHS) give Ghanaians a daily update on the number of new cases, but keep the cards in their chests for up to six to seven days?
This cumulative publication of new case information by the GHS makes it difficult for Ghanaians and other researchers to follow the actual daily infection curve and make projections into the future.
It seems terrifying and intensifies the fear of Ghanaians when the SGA waits a week before updating us with an increase of, say, 300 new cases. Updating new infections daily from daily tests would help researchers assess the success or otherwise of government-implemented interventions.
conclusion
Ghana’s efforts to combat the Covid -19 pandemic are on the right track. What appears to be frustrating Ghana’s efforts is the delay in publishing teat results due to inadequate testing facilities and selective cumulative reporting of new cases (accumulation syndrome), leading to the inability to Clearly see the traces of viral movements.
We will be out of danger if the government improves our testing capabilities by activating more testing centers for early diagnosis and treatment. Of course, this will also happen.
