Akufo-Addo Wishes Health Minister Speedy Recovery From Covid-19

President Akufo-Addo on Sunday confirmed that Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Health Minister, has contracted the COVID-19 virus in his line of duty.

He calls on Ghanaians to remember the country's Health Minister in their prayers for a speedy recovery.

“Let us also wish our hardworking Minister for Health, Honourable Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa Central, a speedy recovery from the virus, which he contracted in the line of duty, and is a stable condition,” President Akufo-Addo said in his 11th broadcast to the nation to give an update on the COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures.

The President also extended his condolence to the family of the late Chief Executive of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Anthony K.K Sam, who died on Friday, June 12, due to COVID-19 related illness.

“Permit me to pay a brief tribute to the memory of an old and valiant colleague in the struggle of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and in the work of the Akufo-Addo Government, the Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, the Chief Executive of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Honourable K.K Sam, Egya Sam to me and many, whose efforts in enforcing social distancing protocols at the Sekondi and Takoradi markets were, recently, highly commended by me, and who sadly passed away on Friday, as a result of a COVID-related death.”

There had been media reports over the weekend, amid controversies, about the diagnosis of the Health Minister and his hospitalisation at the University of Ghana Medical Center.

Likewise, the cause of death of Mr Sam had also become topical on some media platforms.

The President condemned the continued stigmatisation of patients who had recovered from the disease and called for an end to the practice.

He emphasised:" I remain concerned about the stigma associated with this disease. Stories of persons who have recovered from this disease, and being shunned by their own relatives and communities, are a source of considerable worry to me, because they undermine our efforts to fight it.

"There is nothing shameful about testing positive. We do not have to lose our sense of community because of this pandemic".

He, nonetheless, advised citizens to pay attention to their health and urged them to maintain healthy lifestyles and consume nutritious local meals, "When you begin to experience symptoms such as fever, persistent cough, bodily pains, loss of taste and smell, and difficulty in breathing, seek immediate medical attention at the nearest health facility," he cautioned.

"Government, through the Ghana Health Service, continues to monitor, on a daily basis, the spread of the virus, and has benchmarks of health outcomes, which define the mitigation measures that must be pursued to curb the spread of the disease, and enable us to reassess the easing of restrictions".

As of the midnight of Saturday, June 13, the President said, Ghana had recorded 11,964 confirmed cases, with 7, 652 of the cases being active.

There have been 54 deaths, while 4,258 patients have made a full recovery.

—GNA