Coronavirus cases in Ghana have hit nine. This was disclosed by President Nana Akufo-Addo today, Thursday, March 19, 2020.
The President said this during a Presidential Prayer Breakfast Meeting with Christian leaders in Ghana at the Jubilee House.
“…We also learned, sadly on Wednesday, that 3 Ghanaians living abroad had lost their lives as a result. With 9 confirmed cases of infections, we might as well count ourselves lucky as one of the countries least hit by the Coronavirus,” he added.
As of Wednesday, March 18, the cases were seven but the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah took to social media site, Twitter to explain that the two extra cases were recorded overnight.
“Unfortunately we have confirmed two more cases overnight. Ghana’s case count is now at 9. Health services are still managing all suspected and confirmed cases well,” he added.
It is however unclear whether the additional cases were imported just like the other seven or a community spread.
Health experts warn of more possible COVID-19 cases – Oppong Nkrumah
Ghana is likely to record more cases of COVID-19 within the next two weeks Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has disclosed.
He said predictions by health experts are that the number of cases of the pandemic will rise within the above mentioned period before a likely decline of the spread of the disease.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah however assured that the authorities have expressed readiness for any impending case and therefore called on Ghanaians to be calm and take precautionary measures seriously.
“The health experts tell us that the next two weeks are critical in determining whether or not we will get significant community spread. They tell us that, the general theory of pandemic management is that, often the numbers are likely to go up a bit before the situation gets better. Therefore, they are bracing for the possibility of some limited recordings of more cases in the medium term but they continue to assure us that, the systems they are putting together are such that we are able to control it and hold this virus in check,” the Information Minister said this a press conference on Wednesday.
Contact tracing
381 people have so far been identified to have been exposed to the Coronavirus patients in the country.
This is according to the Head of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie.
He said all the contacts so far have been linked to the first six Coronavirus patients in Ghana.
He said contact-tracing results for the seventh patient have begun and figures will be announced soon.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, to provide an update on cases of Coronavirus confirmed in the country, Dr. Sarkodie said none of those who have been identified has shown signs of COVID-19.
“The contacts have risen to 381. None of the contacts has yet been confirmed as suspected case and all of them are being followed up and are doing well. These are the contacts for the first six cases that were detected…The single case that was seen yesterday which is the 7th one, the contract tracers have gone out and they are yet to come back to enable us to give their report so by close of today if the total number of contacts that are being followed would increase,” he said.
All the patients are self-quarantining and being monitored daily
