Assessment of coronavirus shouldn’t be limited to data from Accra - Virologist

Dr Michael Owusu, a virologist at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), has called for separate data on situational report of COVID-19 for all the affected regions in Ghana.

He said the data generated on the situation in Accra cannot be used to do an assessment of the situation in Kumasi and in other parts of the country because the regional curves aren’t the same.

He told Alfred Ocansey on the Sunrise show on 3FM Thursday May 21 that about 70 percent of the data they are relying on to carry out their work in the regions are those generated on the situation in Accra.

This, he said, is not best for the fight against the pandemic across the country.

“We must have data to show that you have peaked. The data we have are data of epidemic and almost 70 percent of the data points are from Accra,” he said, adding that “We cannot project Accra data on the whole Ghana.”

He further suggested that: “We have to draw epidemic curve on a regional basis and even if that one is limited by your testing capacity.

“I am aware that the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences is working to bring in graphs and modules and I hope that when the modules come we can understand and better know where we are and where we are heading to.”

The Ashanti Region has recoded 921 cases of the COVID-19 according to recent figures announced by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

On the national rate, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ghana has risen to 6,269, according to the Ghana Health Service.

The number of recoveries has also risen to 1,898 from 1,773.

The death toll remains the same – 31.