The Government will protect frontline workers in the case management of COVID-19, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.In an address on the enhance measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana, on late Friday, he said government had procured adequate Protection Personal Equipment and other relevant equipment and tools for the frontline workers.

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According to him, government had taken delivery of additional 17,000 coveralls, 350,000 masks, 17,000 googles, 2,400 non-contact thermometers, 350,000 gloves, 25,000 sanitizers, and 30,000 test kits, to assist healthcare personnel and those undertaking contact tracing and testing.The President said 100 pick-up vehicles and 2,500 tablets had been mobilized towards fighting the disease.

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To accelerate the contact tracing process, and ensure the curtail of the spread of the virus in the shortest time, some police and military personnel will be deployed to assist health authorities.The government would also pursue a policy of testing all contacts of people who had tested positive.It was, therefore, recruiting 1,000 volunteers to assist in the exercise.

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He appealed to the public to continue to observe the social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols, saying, they were the crucial weapons of their defence against the virus.Giving an overview of the record of the respiratory disease, the President said 78 of the persons put under mandatory quarantine had since tested positive for the COVID-19.

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He said it was those additional confirmations had increased dramatically, the country's total number of cases to 137 as at March 27, 2020.The President indicated that at his last broadcast six days ago, Ghana had recorded 21 confirmed cases of infections, with virtually all of them being imported.

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He recounted the measures that were taken afterwards which included the closure of all the country's boarders and the order of mandatory quarantine and testing for all the 1,030 persons who arrived at the airport at the time of the announcement till the day the borders were closed, which had yielded such results.The President explainied that 97 per cent of all cases were imported.

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He said out of the remaining 59 confirmed cases, 53, were receiving treatment and were doing well, and that they would be discharged if their second test results proved negative.

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The President also said 14 of these persons were being managed from home in self-isolation, but unfortunately four others who had tested positive for the virus, were aged and had other serious underlying medical conditions, died, however, two persons had fully recovered.

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He said even though it may be said that the number of infections was still relatively low, "if we act now purposefully, we have a chance of preventing an escalation of our numbers", he said.

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According to the President, the government intended to achieve five key objectives which sought to limit and stop the importation of the virus; contain it's spread; provide care for the sick; limit the impact of the virus on social and economic life; and inspire the expansion of the domestic capability and deepen self-reliance." There is no one- size- fit-all approach to this pandemic.

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We have a unique situation in our country, and we must take it into account in dealing with the disease, while meeting all the six key WHO guidelines on the most effective ways of combating the pandemic, "he said. Source: GNA

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