I spent a lot of time working in COVID treatment facilities in Accra in 2020. I was on assignment for the World Bank Group, documenting Ghana’s preparedness for and management of the pandemic.
I was granted rare access to Dr Joseph Oliver-Commey & his team at work.Dr Oliver-Commey is the Physician-In-Charge of the COVID-19 Team at Ga-East Municipal Hospital.
I spent about 10 hours at Ga-East. Believe me when I say, I was SO exhausted, mentally & physically! To think I was only observing & documenting! I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like for them constantly trying to keep people alive, all the while in various levels of PPE!
Face masks to be distributed to outgoing patients.
When healthcare workers are in full PPE, it is hard to tell them apart - all you see is their eyes. They get their names written behind them as it is the only way to identify them when fully clad.
Helping a patient who collapsed onto a gurney.
One of the steps in the decontamination process, is stepping into chlorine solution.
“Let your faith overcome your fears” read a sign on the door to the PPE Donning Room.
Mohammed Abdul Rahman, one of the EMTs who brought patients that evening.
A girl looking at a HCW in full PPE as Rebecca Kumah, on the night shift, checked her vitals before admission.
You can imagine how heartbroken & anxious I was shooting this beautiful boy, getting his oxygen saturation level read as he & his family (mum, dad & sister) had tested positive.I remember in the early days of the pandemic, it was said that it did not infect children.