There could be severe increased spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region if attempts are not made to avert the rate at which positive patients are reportedly loitering about, breaching the safety protocols and mingling with their families and other non COVID-19 patients.
It is on record that Amenfi West has no Isolation Center to keep positive COVID-19 patients to help curtail the spread of the virus.
This development is said to have culminated in many of the positive patients mostly kept at home with their families and loitering about.
Currently, the District has a total of 119 positive cases, and out of the number, only ten are in isolation at a facility that was not initially designated to be one (Isolation Center).
The District Health Director, Madam Mary Magdalene Arthur, confirmed to The Chronicle in a telephone interview that currently, two of the positive patients had to be isolated at the Samartex Hospital, whilst the other eight were at a Catholic hospital.
The Health Director conceded that the aforementioned two hospitals initially were designated to cater for critical ill COVID-19 patients, but because there was no isolation facility, the Directorate had no other choice than to isolate the ten at the said hospitals.
Health Director Mary Magdalen Arthur conceded it was challenging tracing and informing contacts that they had tested positive for the virus, because there was no Isolation Center to keep them.
She said an isolation center that was being built and completed in one of the local communities saw the youth and chief of the area forbid the Health Directorate to isolate positive patients on their land.
A hotel facility also earmarked to isolate positive patients was also turned down by the managers of the facility at the last hour. “So the positive patients are living with their families at home, this is serious,” suggested this reporter.
But the Health Director replied that the Directorate had done its part and could only hope an isolation center was ready to keep the positive patients in.
That apart, it continued to educate the positive patients to stay at home. “Regrettably, if tracing positive patients to inform them of their positive status was challenging, then it could be more daunting asking them to stay at home,” suggested this reporter.
But the Health Director answered by banking her hopes on the education the Directorate had been preaching out to the patients to stay at home.
For now, she said an isolation center was being completed to have the patients kept there.
But, as to when it would be completed, remains unknown.
The Amenfi West has had 23 recoveries with over 119 positive cases.
Currently, the entire Western Region has a total of 2,189 positive cases with 4,019 samples pending.
Sekondi-Takoradi is leading the chart with a total of 573 cases, followed by Tarkwa-Nsuaem with 465 cases.
The post Amenfi West has no COVID-19 Isolation Center appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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