COVID 19 screening: No passenger suspected of disease yet- WR Health Directorate diffuses reports

The Western Region Health Directorate is entreating the public to disregard news publications and other reports of some four passengers that have been asked to self-quarantine, when their temperatures shot above the normal threshold during a screening exercise taken at the highway barriers yesterday.

Deputy Director if Health, Western Region, Dr Atsu Dodor in an exclusive interview with Skyy News’ Abraham Mensah today, at the screening center at Asem Asa Toll Booth, said those reports are false. He explained that reports from the exercise since yesterday has no records of any persons or passenger with temperatures above normal levels, and that no person has either been quarantined or asked to self-isolate.

He added that temperature readings taken earlier with the said four persons, were abnormal and had to be confirmed with a second IR thermometer gun, which came out normal.

“No. As at yesterday, we’ve not had any such case. I also read it but I don’t know where they hearing those from. We are here, we have not recorded anything. There were four passengers yesterday with higher temperature readings but we later realised it was the fault of the thermometers. So we just used another thermometer and it was normal. So we allowed them to go.

“The temperature was over 40 degrees Celsius and the person was walking normally. Nobody could have a temperature of over 40 and be walking normally. So we suspected it might be the thermometer” he clarified.

Dr. Dodor said the medical team will continue with the screening at the booth.

The screening exercise is being taken in three other areas; Tarkwa, Akropong and Elubo in the Western Region. The intervention, Dr. Dodor clarified, falls withing the regional surveillance plan for COVID 19.