NCDs Contributing To Covid-19 Deaths — Akufo-Addo

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are having a devastating impact on Ghana's Coronavirus response, according to President Akufo-Addo.

Giving his 8th Covid-19 response address, the President said non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, and asthma, have proved to be the common risk factors for people with Covid-19.

He said such risks factors have contributed to the 11 deaths the country has recorded from the Coronavirus pandemic.

“We must pay increased attention to chronic, non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, and asthma, which have proved to be the common risk factors,” he said.

He said just as the virus has disrupted the daily lives of Ghanaians, it has equally exposed the deficiencies of the country's healthcare system, because of years of under-investment and neglect.

The President indicated that whilst maternal, new-born, adolescent health and nutrition remain top health priorities for Ghana, attention will be given to other areas like mental health and emergency healthcare services, which fortunately the new fleet of ambulances and drones are responding to.

“We must emphasise preventive and promotive aspects of health, in addition to care for the sick,” he added.

Cases

The president further announced the completion of the analysis of another 32,031 samples, bringing the number of tests from 68,591 to one 100,622.

From this pool, the total number of confirmed infections has gone from 1,042 to 1,550.

“Our recoveries are now one hundred and fifty-five (155), and deaths eleven (11). The two (2) new cases of deaths, like the other nine (9), are all of persons with underlying health issues, what the doctors call comorbidity,” he said.

Six persons, he said, are reportedly critically ill with the remaining 1,378 having mild or no symptoms at all and are responding to treatment.

“Of the 508 new confirmed cases 465 are from the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, 10 from Kasoa in the Central Region, seven from the Ashanti Region, six in the Eastern Region, two in the Northern Region, one in Western North, and 17 from the Oti Region, ” President Akufo-Addo stated.

The rate of infection from those sampled continue to constantly remain at 1.5%.

---Daily Guide