Juaso (Ash), March 30, GNA – The Asante-Akim South Municipal Public Health Emergency Management Committee has issued an alert on a possible outbreak of COVID-19 in the Municipality after recording its first case last Friday.
The alert is urging all persons who may have come into contact with the patient, who had since died, to report to health authorities.
It follows the death of Nana Osei Boansi Kuffuor, the Oyokohene of Juaso who died at the Ridge Hospital in Accra after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
Prior to his death, he had spent some days at Juaso, after returning from the United Kingdom, before showing symptoms of the disease.
This informed the decision of the Committee to give the warning signal after his demise and commence contact-tracing to contain a possible spread of the virus in the community.
Mr. Alexander Frimpong, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) who chairs the committee, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that about 40 persons who had been reached through contact-tracing were cooperating with authorities.
He said health officials had taken their details and would continue to monitor them closely at least for the next two weeks to determine whether they were infected or not.
“We have directed all assembly members to make announcements in their localities for people who may come close to the case prior to his death to report to health authorities for them to be added to the contact-tracing list,” he stated.
He said the assembly in collaboration with the Municipal Health Directorate had secured a holding centre where suspected cases would be kept before the rapid response team takes over.
The committee had also stepped up public education through community information centres and mobile vans with focus on safety precautions.
The MCE called for calm as the necessary steps were being taken to contain any outbreak, and urged the people to observe all the preventive protocols for their own safety.
GNA