The COVID 19 Response Team has warned societal stereotypes about the Covid-19 pandemic could hamper its efforts at finding persons with symptoms of the disease.
An advisor to the team, Dr Ama Edwin insists using terms like ‘COVID-19 case’, ‘suspected Case’ and ‘Super spreaders,’ is discriminatory and breeds stigma.
Addressing the information ministry’s Media briefing, she advised that all such expressions be replaced with ‘People or patients with COVID 19 or being treated or recovering from COVID 19.”
She added: “It is also important that you talk about a person who travelled and contracted the disease rather than he travelled and brought the disease to Ghana.”
She was uncomfortable with media houses making frantic efforts to find out index cases, a trend she describes as unnecessary.
Dr Ama further also discouraged the sending and forwarding of nonfactual and discouraging messages that misinform the public and tend to breed freer and panic.
According to Ghana Health Service, as of 11 April 2020, a total of 37,954 persons had been tested with 566 being positive for COVID-19. The breakdown of the 566 positive cases are as follows: four (4) have been treated, discharged and tested negative, 552 cases have been categorised as mild disease on treatment, two (2) moderate to severe cases, none currently on ventilators and eight (8) have died.
Of the 566 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 292 were reported from the routine surveillance, 159 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale.
Regions that have reported cases are Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Western, Volta, Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West”.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Ivan Heathcote – Fumador
