Ghana records 70 new coronavirus cases, tally now 636

Ghana has recorded 70 more cases of Coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 636, Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed.

"The breakdown of the 636 positive cases are as follows: seventeen (17) have been treated, reverted to negative on repeat tests and discharged, 605 cases have been categorised as mild disease and are on treatment, two (2) are categorized as moderate to severe cases, none in critical state currently and eight (8) have died," information on GHS's website reads.

It adds: "Of the 636 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 268 were reported from the routine surveillance, 253 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale."

Regions that have reported cases are Greater Accra (509), Ashanti (53), Central (1), Eastern (41), Western (1), Volta (9), Northern (10), North East (1), Upper East (4), and Upper West (7).

According to GHS, 70% of the cases are persons with no history of travel while 30% have a history of travel. 41% of the infected persons are females while 59% are males.

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Monday, April 13 attributed the numbers to the aggressive approach by the government "to be ahead and go after the virus" through rigorous enhanced contact tracing "while limiting importation".

17 full recoveries and 66 negatives

At a press briefing Tuesday morning, it was announced that the country has achieved another stride in its case management of confirmed COVID-19 cases as 17 persons have fully recovered.

This information was disclosed by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Aboagye.

Adding details to this information, Dr Aboagye said an additional 66 persons who tested positive of the virus have now tested negative for the virus.

He, however, disclosed that for a patient to be declared fully recovered, the patient must test negative after going through two different tests.

“The definition of recovered is those who are positive and have recorded two consecutive negatives and that is when we can claim that you are cured. Currently, we have 83 people in that category a significant number have tested for the first negative but we have 17 who have recorded double negatives,” he said.

Dr. Aboagye thus mentioned that the 66 additional are expected to go through the second round of testing, pending which they will be declared fully recovered.