One of the several persons to test positive to the novel coronavirus in Ghana succinctly addresses the stigma associated with his journey with the following words: “I went and I am back, you may go and will also go and come back. Don't be scared...”
Mr Fred Kweku Drah, is now one of the 83 persons who have successfully recovered from claws of the deadly virus in the country.
The father of four on Thursday, April 16, 2020, gave Ghanaians a little insight as regards his journey with the virus from the point he received the heart-wrenching news about testing positive to the virus to the eventual declaration of his recovery.
He said at the initial stages, he felt it was a death sentence considering the harrowing and severe misconceptions about the disease in the news.
“…I received a strange call the day after I visited the hospital and the gentleman told me I had tested positive to COVID-19. In fact, it wasn’t easy for me. I was trying to control myself the doctor even called me and encouraged myself to dissociate myself from my family, I did that but my children became suspicious but all the same, my wife was strong…,” he narrated.
To top it up, Mr Drah revealed that when he arrived at the specialized facility at the GA East District Hospital to receive medical care, doctors and nurses at the centre refused to get closer to him and properly attend to him.
“…For me being the first person to use that facility, at Ga East district hospital, the doctors were scared of me, the nurses were also scared of me and lo and behold they showed me my room…when I entered my room it was a moment of sadness in my life. They later came to give me emergency numbers I could call which meant, they wouldn’t be closer to me…”
In spite of the gloomy picture he saw at the onset, Mr Drah said all that changed when the actual treatment began. He pegged the performance of doctors and nurses at the facility at 95 per cent and referred to them as the unsung heroes in the battle against the virus.
According to Mr Drah, though they were initially scared to approach him, their services throughout his stay was highly commendable. “The doctors and nurses over there were very very good and they helped me overcome the virus…,” he emphasized.
Eric Kweku Drah says he remained at an isolation ward until last week when he was discharged following the declaration of his freedom from the grips of the deadly coronavirus.
Per data provided by the Ghana Health Service, the case count for the coronavirus in Ghana has reached a total of 641 with 83 recoveries and eight deaths.
Health experts have warned of a further surge in the total number of cases in the coming weeks due to the backlog of tests conducted so far.
