New COVID-19 testing facility opens | General news

More investment is being funneled into building the COVID-19 testing facility to improve the convenience of getting tested and help the country acquire data to fight the pandemic.

The latest facility that has been built to support the fight against the pandemic is GeneLab, a state-of-the-art COVID-19 PCR testing facility in East Legon.

The facility has been certified by the Healthcare Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and Department of Health to provide services in strict accordance with guidelines.

Facility managers say their main goal is to do more to support government initiatives to break the chain of spread.

Currently, the rate of new infections recorded by the Ghana Health Service is around 500 cases per day. This is recorded from routine surveillance, that is, among people who are mostly symptomatic.

Unfortunately, asymptomatic people can also spread the infection, which poses a risk to others. Despite the strict infection prevention measures (wearing a mask, social distancing, hand washing techniques), it has been observed that these measures are not strictly followed, hence a risk of spread once someone has the infection.

A clear way to prevent the spread of the disease is to identify an infected person and isolate them. This limits the risk of infection for other people and ensures that infected people are detected early and treated. Evidence shows that people with mild / moderate disease have a higher cure rate, but the results worsen with late detection and treatment of the disease.

The facility which opened in February 2021 had a dedication and facility blessing on Monday March 8, jointly by Reverend Father Andrew Campbell and Reverend Steve Mensah.