<<Print>>

Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Health Advisor to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has indicated the seriousness of the novel coronavirus saying it is impossible to tell its lifespan on earth as well as how the virus operates or behaves.

According to him, the COVID-19 is a new virus with no history or background, insisting that scientists cannot tell how long it will last on earth before it exits from the surface of the earth.

“This new virus . . .we only assume that it will behave as other viruses and that is what we are hoping to see but to be honest with you, if I say that someone knows the behaviour of this virus and how it operates, if someone knows how long before a vaccine could be discovered, I will be telling you lies,” he confessed.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Dr. Nsiah-Asare revealed that the COVID-19 keeps changing itself at any point in time, making it difficult for scientist and medical researchers to find a specific vaccine to treat it.

“It is true that when a vaccine is discovered, the infection rate of the virus will decrease just as any other virus preceeding it. We should know that whenever any virus rears its head, it stays for quite a long time but then if we have the vaccine then we will use it or adhere to protocols which will contain the spread of the virus and that is why we are praying and working hard to get the vaccine as soon as possible,” he stated.

Treatment Medications

Whiles revealing that they have resorted to supportive treatment to help patients recover swiftly from COVID-19, the former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service and one time Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) also indicated that they continue to experiment with other medications and vaccines noted for the treatment of other viral diseases. 

He explained that drugs like Hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol, antibiotics and other drugs that will boost and enhance the immune system are being used to treat patients.

“There are a lot of clinical trials on-going to ascertain the specific vaccine for the treatment of the new coronavirus”.

". . We have tried so many medications to treat the COVID-19 but we have not been successful in getting the specific vaccine which will stop the virus and so we are using supportive treatment. We sometimes treat patients with hydroxychloroquine or some other antibiotics that treat secondary bacterial infection, as well as paracetamol to reduce temperature of the victims who are infected with the virus and vitamins and multivitamins to boost immune system of the patients to eat well, exercise and have a sound sleep...And it works very well for those without any underlying health conditions," he disclosed.