The head of Child Health Directorate of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital In Kumasi Prof. Sampson Antwi has confirmed exclusively to Otec FM’s Nyansapo Morning show that three children have so far been killed by the dreaded COVID-19 virus since the outbreak in the country last year.
According to the Medical Officer, the Directorate recorded fourteen (14) cases during last year but within few weeks in 2021 nine (9) new cases have been recorded bringing the total case of the children infected by the COVID-19 to twenty-four (24) at the facility, an observation he feared could escalate if the current situation was not brought under total control.
Speaking to Captain Koda during the interview on Thursday 28th January 2021, Prof. Sampson Antwi admitted that the center is challenged in providing all the beds for the treatment of the children; adding that there was the need for the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to provide new units at the Chirapatre Government Hospital and the Prof. Frimpong Boateng Medical Center at Nkawie to mitigate the situation.
Prof. Sampson Antwi admonished pregnant mothers to frequently do the COVID-19 test to know their status before their births and further indicated that COVID-19 symptoms associated with adults’ cases were virtually similar to that of children insisting that medical experts have recently discovered Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children as a major symptom as far as COVID-19 is concerned.
The head of Child Health Directorate of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital also denied media reports suggesting that the Directorate has no separate wards for children who are affected by COVID-19 virus and those receiving different other treatment cases.
He also maintained that the leadership of the hospital has been providing them with all the Personal Protective Equipment needed to facilitate their operations.
He, however, warned the public to observe the safety protocols of the virus since the facility could be overwhelmed if the current cases continue to escalate.
He advised the Ghanaian public to desist from visiting health facilities around this period if there are no emergency circumstances to help reduce the widespread of the disease and rallied the populace to endeavour to observe all the safety protocols since that was the surest way to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control.
