Ghana’s coronavirus numbers surging daily

Ghana’s Coronavirus cases are surging by the day with latest figures at 1671 with 188 recoveries and 16 deaths, the Ghana Health Service has disclosed in a press briefing.

After the 3-week lockdown of parts of country, some expert knowledge gathered on the disease, weekly media briefings at the Ministry of Information and several warnings in the eight Presidential broadcasts by President Nana Akufo-Addo, the cases are just rising by the minute.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday afternoon at the Ministry of Information, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, stated that 563 of the infected were from general surveillance.

The new figures come amid reports that 10 food vendors and three taxi drivers who operate at the Achimota government hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. It’s not clear with their numbers are part of the 1671.

According to Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, 1,461 are well or showing “no symptoms and responding to treatment”.

Out of the total cases, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said six patients are “critically ill” with two of them at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), three at Ga East Municipal Hospital and one at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

On the number of casualties, the Director-General also disclosed that Ghana has recorded five new deaths from the disease raising the death toll to 16.

The cases at Achimota government hospital were confirmed after the hospital decided to conduct mass testing for individuals who do business within the hospital community.

The samples were taken to the Noguchi memorial centre and came out positive.

Nurses and other medical staff of the hospital are currently undergoing compulsory testing for COVID-19 since Tuesday, April 28.

Meanwhile, a police officer at Adenta in Accra has tested positive for COVID-19 after arresting and detaining a suspect who defied the lockdown directive.

According to Starrfm.com.gh sources within the security agencies, the suspect, who was apparently positive of the virus, was detained for a longer period at the Adenta police cells after court hearing because the Prisons service was not accepting new inmates as a result of the pandemic.

A source at the Adenta district police command says the officer has been asked to self-quarantine after he tested positive.