Coronavirus enhanced tracing: 37 of 11,016 test positive

The Ghana Health Service has said 37 people, representing 0.34% of some 11,016 samples from contacts of COVID-19 patients that have been traced so far, have come out positive as of 7 April 2020.

Last week, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the COVID-19 test results of some 15,384 people, which are being released in batches this week, will determine the government’s next line of action with regard to the current lockdown measures being implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Nana Akufo-Addo announced a two-week lockdown in his last address to the state on 27 March, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

A week into the lockdown, some vulnerable groups are calling for it to end while a section of Ghanaians also insist the lockdown should be extended.

But in a televised address to the nation on Sunday, 5 April 2020, Nana Akufo-Addo said: “We are about to enter into a critical phase of our fight in the coming weeks as the Ghana Health Service is due to receive the results of some 15,384 out of 19,276 persons who have been reached through contact tracing. It is the results of these tests that will determine our future course of action. Government’s policies and measures will continue to be driven by the science in this matter...

"So, in the course of the coming week, a determination will be made as to whether or not to extend the duration of the two-week restriction on movement, and the implementation or otherwise of any more enhanced measures to deal with the virus."

As of 7 April 2020, at 14:40 hrs, Ghana’s COVID-19 caseload had increased by twenty-six to 313 with one more death recorded, increasing the fatality toll to six, according to the latest update by the Ghana Health Service.

The GHS said the increase in number is attributable to its “enhanced contact-tracing and testing”, which are ongoing.

The new cases are distributed thus: Greater Accra Region (274), Ashanti Region (25), Northern Region (10), Upper West Region (1), Eastern Region (1), Upper East Region (1) and Central Region (1).

The GHS said: “A total of 161 cases were reported from the routine surveillance, 37 from enhanced surveillance activities and those from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale, are 115”.

According to the update, “The period for mandatory quarantine for travellers who arrived between 21 and 22 March 2020, has ended”.

“In all, a total of 1,030 travellers were quarantined during the period. Out of these, 79 (7.7%) were positive during the initial testing while 951 were negative. Twenty-six (26) among those that were initially negative were found to have converted to be positive at the exit screening, bringing to a total of 105 which constitutes 10.2% among the travellers that were quarantined.