Coronavirus deaths not real-time; they’re old numbers – GHS chief

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has disclosed that the number of deaths reported on their website do not represent real-time figures, but old numbers that have gone through an audit process.

Ghana’s case count of coronavirus currently stands at 14,154 with over 10,000 recoveries and 85 deaths.

The death toll rose from 70 on Friday, June 19 to 85 on Saturday, June 20, a situation many interpret as 15 deaths within 24 hours.

But Dr. Kuma-Aboagye clarified that such interpretation is inaccurate.

Speaking to Alfred Ocansey on 3FM’s Sunrise Monday, June 22, the Director-General of the Service explained that the number of deaths as reported by President Nana Akufo-Addo in his address on Sunday and subsequently published on the Ghana Health Service website are old cases.

“It is not 15 deaths in two days”, he clarified.

“We have a process of facility reporting deaths, validating at the regional level. There is a national team validating, not just by getting numbers but getting details of the presentation, just like what people are presenting, what treatment was given, is there adequate capacity where the person was managed? etc, then we publish, and so those names are not new names. Those were deaths that had already happened long ago that were being processed and being reviewed,” he explained.

Dr. Kuma-Aboagye added that the Ministry of Health will early in the week release more details for the public to be able to tell the exact days when the people died and that could also inform the public on the daily death rate.

He admitted the reported number of deaths could be less than the actual figures but called for calm, saying “it is not alarming”.