COVID-19 - ICU to treat complicated cases
Janice
Government has set up an Intensive Care Unit at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) to handle complicated COVID-19 cases. The 16-bed-capacity will be used to treat COVID-19 patients with respiratory problems. The Deputy Minister for Health, Alexander Abban made this known in an interview. “This facility has been prepared and we are ready in the event that somebody requires to be brought to the ICU. These things are in place.
Usually, those who require ICU care are those who are not able to breathe on their own and so you require ICU care and ventilators to help in the breathing of the person because at that time the virus may have taken the respiratory system and that is where you will require an ICU.”
Cases in Ghana
The novel Coronavirus cases in Ghana have increased to 19. The latest cases were confirmed on March 20 and are believed to be imported, according to the Ghana Health Service. Two of the new cases were reported from the Greater Accra Region and the other in the Ashanti Region.
The latest infected persons are a 55-year-old Ghanaian woman resident of the United Kingdom who travelled to Ghana within the last two weeks; an 84-year-old Ghanaian lady also a resident of the United Kingdom who also came to Ghana within the past two weeks and a 27-year-old Chinese man who came to Ghana.
There have been 13 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection this past week.At least three of these cases have been suspected to be community spread.
How is the virus spread?
The virus is spread mainly from between people who are in close contact with one another, ie within about 6 feet, and via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into one’s lungs.
To prevent the spread, the standard recommendations coming from the World Health Organisation and the Ghana Health Service are regular hand washing, covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. People are also advised to avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
