Author: newsfilegh

scrumIT Rugby Management System (scrumIT RMS) has developed a module (https://youtu.be/Tgg_I6f-FIg) whereby the recent match contact record of a player can be traced for contact tracing purposes. According to the founder and developer of the system, Mr Jaco Brooks, the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the inspiration for the scrumIT development team to look at what contribution they can make to help with this and possible future similar pandemics. “According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control the purpose of identifying and managing the contacts of probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases is to rapidly identify…

Persons working in the health sector have been given strict warning not to talk to the media on anything concerning the deadly covid-19, except for education purposes. This was contained in a notice to all heads of health facilities among others in the Eastern region, a copy sighted by 3news.com, dated April 13, 2020 under the subject: UNAUTHORISED AND UNACCEPTABLE MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS BY HEALTH STAFF. Authored by the Eastern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. (Mrs) Alberta Adjabeng Biritwum-Nyarko, the notice read in part: “I write to you in no uncertain terms to warn all staff in all seriousness to…

A number of very important guidelines have been issued worldwide to address the COVID-19 pandemic, namely: frequently wash hands under running water with soap for at least twenty seconds, sanitize hands periodically, limit the number of face-to-face interactions, observe basic social distancing protocols, etc. These guidelines are being widely repeated here in Ghana and in various social media by political leaders, religious and community leaders, captains of industry, celebrities etc. We should, however, not be lulled into a false sense of security by the mere repetition of, and seeming familiarity, with the guidelines. Much more is needed for their intended impact to be…

If there was any time Kobina Ansah’s tagline for his play, Emergency Wedding, was relevant, then that time will be now – Man has his timelines but God has the clock.  The Covid-19 pandemic has brought life to a halt and it is no news how much it is distorting the timelines of many. It, thus, comes as no surprise that the playwright’s much-publicized play, Emergency Wedding, has been postponed. Kobina Ansah is credited for plays such as I Want To Sue God and The Boy Called A Girl among others. His theatre outfit, Scribe Productions, started preparations for Emergency…

The Government of Ghana has announced a three-prong strategy for comprehensively responding to the Covid-19 crisis: Testing, Tracing & Treatment. Of those three dimensions,  many observers feel that the first two are the most critical in the current phase of the crisis as they are more visible and more closely linked with prevention, which given the country’s limited resources, is far more critical than curing. There is no doubt that tracing and testing are critical, but the strategy for doing both well is even more important. In addition to early detection, effective tracing and testing also enable responders to use…

Ningo-Prampram in the Greater Accra Region has recorded two cases of the deadly novel coronavirus cases. They were part of 50 people whose samples were taken after they were identified as having come in contact with an infected person who was said to have visited the area recently. Results of the samples from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra on Sunday showed two of the 50 persons identified through contact tracing have contracted the virus. The rest tested negative. They have since been put in isolation. Confirming the cases to 3news.com Monday morning, the District Director of…

The Member of Parliament for Binduri in the Upper East region, Dr. Robert Baba Kuganab-lem, has donated assorted items to health facilities, markets and chiefs in his constituency to help fight the novel coronavirus. The items worth 26,850 cedis included 50 Veronica buckets, 410 bottles of sanitizers, 25 gallons of disinfectants, 50 gallons of liquid soap, disposable gloves, 10 boxes of nose masks, 20 boxes of examination gloves, tissue papers, and non-contact thermometers. Dr. Kuganab-lem used the occasion to educate the public on the need to observe all the precautionary measures to help contain the virus. He said the fight…

The number of people without travel history who have contracted the deadly novel coronavirus in Ghana has surpassed the number of imported cases as the virus spreads to almost all parts of the country. Figures from the Ghana Health Service revealed 66.6 per cent of the people with the virus in the country have no history of travel, while those with travel history is pegged at 33.4 per cent With just two first imported cases in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana has within four weeks recorded 566 coronavirus cases in 10 of the 16 regions with eight deaths. “Of the…

The UN’s biodiversity chief has called for a global ban on wildlife markets to prevent the outbreak of future pandemics. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema told the BBC that the practice of buying and selling wild animals in markets can pose a threat to human health as well as to endangered species. “We know over the last 60 years the majority of the new zoonotic diseases have emerged as the result of human activities … pushing wild animals into closer contact with humans and increasing the risk of transmission,” Mrema said. “Therefore we need to ensure that wet markets are well regulated,…

The Chairperson of the African Union, President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr Donald Kaberuka, Mr Tidjane Thiam and Mr Trevor Manuel as Special Envoys of the African Union to mobilise international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges African countries will face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special Envoys will be tasked with soliciting rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20, the European Union and other international financial institutions. President Ramaphosa says: “In the light of the devastating socio-economic and political impact of the…