Ghana COVID-19 case count now over 18,000

Ghana has recorded 496 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total tally to 18,630, with 14,046 recoveries, representing 74 per cent of positive cases.

Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, who announced this at a media briefing on Thursday, said there were five more deaths since the last update, bringing the death toll to 117, representing 0.73 per cent of death rate.

Currently, there are 4,467 active cases who are being managed at treatment facilities and isolation centres across the country, while others are being managed at home.

There are, however. 22 severe cases, with eight persons critically ill and six patients on ventilators at the Ga East Municipal Hospital, University of Ghana Medical Centre and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the new cases were reported in 50 districts within 10 regions, noting that the Greater Accra Region contributed 52 per cent of all Covid-19 cases in the country, Greater Kumasi 20.8 per cent and Western Region 8.4 per cent, while the rest of the 13 regions contributed about 15 per cent.

Giving the breakdown of the 10 regions with new infections, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the Greater Accra recorded 209, Ashanti-508, Bono East-35, Eastern-27 and Ahafo-18.

The rest are Western-17, Upper West-14, Central-10, Volta-5 and Western North-3.

He said 12 health facilities were being upgraded nationwide to support and enhance the delivery of quality health care.

Asked whether the GHS could disclose the identity of government officials who had contracted the virus, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said, it was unethical in the medical profession to reveal the identity of persons who had contracted the respiratory disease including; politicians and media practitioners receiving treatment, saying; “I could even lose my license if I do so”.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye encouraged chiefs, opinion leaders and the Clergy to join the sensitisation campaign to combat the deadly disease.

He urged all Ghanaians to adhere strictly to the safety and hygiene protocols such as washing of hands with soap under running water, wearing of face or nose masks, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and observing the social/physical distancing in public.

There are more than 10 million reported positive cases of COVID-19 globally, with 508,057 deaths.

Source: GNA