Coronavirus: 10k additional samples to be tested in lockdown extension – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has revealed that 10,000 samples collected from persons suspected to have come into contact with coronavirus (COVID-19) carriers are expected to be tested during the one week extension of the partial lockdown in parts of the country.

The test would be carried out by the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR).

The expected number of samples to be tested, according to the President, spurred the extension of the partial lockdown in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area, by one more week, from an initial two weeks. The extension of the partial lockdown takes effect from Monday, April 13, 2020.

The 10,000 samples formed part of the 37,405 samples that have been taken during the two weeks partial lockdown.

“As at Wednesday, 8th April, a total of fourteen thousand, six hundred and eleven (14, 611) contacts of the samples collected have been tested for the virus in Accra and Kumasi. For Accra, eleven thousand, three hundred and eight (11,308) contacts were tested, and fifty-two (52), i.e 0.4% of them were found to be positive. In Kumasi, three thousand and three hundred and three (3,303) contacts have been tested, and twenty-five (25), i.e. 0.76% have been fund to be positive. In total, seventy-seven (77) positive cases were recorded in Accra and Kumasi, representing 0.53% of the fourteen thousand, six hundred and eleven (14,611) tested”, noted the President in his 6th address to the nation in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Thursday evening.

He added “Whilst the results are encouraging, in suggesting a limited number of positives and community spread, we expect to be able to test some ten thousand (10,000) additional samples in the coming week to give us a clearer picture to enable us take a decision on the way forward”.

Ghana’s confirmed cases of the coronavirus now stands at 378, with President Akufo-Addo cautioning the citizenry that the fight in the containment of the spread of the virus is not over despite the modest success made and urged all to adhere to measures put in place to address the situation at hand.

“It appears that our commonest efforts have been modestly successful in containing the virus and minimizing the spread. Undoubtedly, the decisions taken from day one to act quickly and decisively, and impose what may have seemed as harsh restrictions, have now proven to be effective and saved lots of lives. However, this fight is not yet over and we are by no means out of the woods yet. As I said, we now have in total 378 confirmed cases of infections, with six deaths, four recoveries, two in critical condition, and the remaining 370 are mild cases, who are in isolation, and are either being managed at home or at treatment centres”, he posited.