The District Public Health Management Committee (DPHMC) of the Shama District Assembly has held a meeting to outline plans and modalities to implement the President’s directives in mitigating the impact of the coronavirus in the district.

The District Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Mr Alfred Osei Assibey who briefed the members on the plans and modalities outlined for implementation in the district assured members of its readiness to manage the disease and prevent the spread of the virus should there be a case in the district.

According to him, the role of the members would be to develop communication plans to sensitizing the public on the disease, mobilize resources to prevent and control the spread of the disease, enhance community surveillance for early detection and coordinate community risk mapping activities.

Mr Assibey noted that there must also be a means of achieving response objectives through a combination of public health measures like rapid identification, diagnosis and management of the cases, identification and follow up of contacts, infection prevention and control, implementation of health measures for travellers, and awareness creation and risk communication.

Mr Assibey mentioned adherence to hand hygiene (handwashing, use of sanitizers), respiratory hygiene (coughing into paper tissues, covering of nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing) and injection safety practice as standard precautions.

“Social distancing measures like mass transit system and public gatherings shall be strictly adhered to”, he emphasized.

He mentioned inadequate logistics like Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), diagnosis equipment, thermometer, sample taking devices, medicines to manage symptoms and medicine consumables as some challenges that must be addressed going forward.