Coronavirus: All 35 confirmed cases in Upper West discharged – Health Director

Dr Damien Punguyire, the Acting Upper West Regional Director of Health Services has announced that all 35 cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases recorded in the region had been discharged from treatment according to the revised case management protocol.

He said the 35 cases were recorded in six out of the eleven districts and municipalities in the region.

Dr Punguyire, who made this known at the launch of a Sexual and Reproductive Health Right and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence campaign in Wa on Friday, said no COVID-19 related death had since been recorded in the region.

The SRHR/SGBV campaign was launched by Plan International Ghana as part of the implementation of its “COVID-19 Gender Emergency Response Programme” aimed to ensure the welfare of vulnerable and deprived children, especially girls after Ghana recorded her first cases of COVID-19.

Per the revised discharge guideline, for cases exhibiting symptoms, discharge after a period of time of being symptom-free and for those not showing any symptoms, a period of time after the initial test was done.

The Regional Health Director noted that as part of efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19, the government had painstakingly taken the decision to re-organise staff and other resources into combating the pandemic.

He said, “health workers who hitherto, had been involved in providing essential services for women, children, and adolescents including issues related to sexual and reproductive health are now fully engaged in contact tracing and other COVID-19 related activities”.

He said the effects of COVID-19 were glaring in the region as Family Planning coverage had reduced from 58.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 to 34.5 per cent in the same period in 2020.

Dr Punguyire said the percentage of pregnant women making the fourth visit for antenatal care services had also reduced from 82.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 to 75.7 per cent same period in 2020.

Mr Kamaldeen Iddrisu, the District Development Coordinator, Upper West Regional Programme Unit of Plan International Ghana, said as part of efforts to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Plan International Ghana donated GH?50,000.00 to the National COVID-19 Fund.

He said they also donated GH?20,000.00 to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in the early days of the pandemic as well as GH?20,000.00 to the Upper West Regional Health Directorate to help fight the outbreak of the Cerebrospinal Meningitis in the region.