Nkonkonsa

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed five (5) new people have tested positive to the coronavirus in Accra.

This raises the overall infection in the country to 16.

According to a statement issued by the Disease Surveillance Department of the GHS, the confirmed cases include 3 males and 2 females all residing in the Greater Accra Region.

Five (5) new confirmed cases on the 19th March 2020. All five were reported from Greater Accra Region.

29-year-old Ghanaian lady; resident of Accra; no history of travel; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory

34-year-old Ghanaian lady resident of Accra; contact of a confirmed case at place of work; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory.

53-year-old Ghanaian male, resident of Tema; no history of travel, no evidence of close contact with confirmed case; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory

41-year-old Ghanaian male; arrived in Ghana by KLM on the 15 March 2020; indicated exposure with family members in Amsterdam exhibiting respiratory symptoms and also on the flight with some passengers sneezing and coughing; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory.

36-year-old Ghanaian male; resident of Paris, France; date of arrival in Ghana unconfirmed; no evidence of contact with infected person;

This brings to a total of sixteen (16) confirmed cases in Ghana, with no death.

Contact tracing has been initiated in all these confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, Eight Ghanaians who contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are recovering, a highly placed government official has told kasapafmonline.com.

As at Friday, March 20, 2020, Ghana has confirmed and recorded 16 cases of the coronavirus. Considering the number of recorded cases, it means 50 percent of victims are recovering.

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu in an interview with Joy News confirmed that some patients are indeed recovering.

“As at yesterday, they were all very stable, some of them I will say are even recovering. There are two of them we are treating at home we don’t see any signs again but we may need to do some tests before we discharge them fully. But so far we don’t have anybody who’s critically ill or severely ill. Illness is mild but you see some of them like they are becoming very normal people.”

President Akufo Addo last Sunday announced the shut down of all educational institutions – universities, second cycle schools and basic schools effective, March 16, 2020, until further notice in the wake of the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19.

However, BECE and WASSCE candidates will be allowed to prepare for their examination under prescribed social distancing protocols.

All public gatherings, including conferences, workshops, funerals, political rallies, sporting events, such as services in churches and mosques have been suspended for the next four weeks.

Private burials are however permitted but with limited numbers not exceeding 25 people in attendance.

He reiterated that travel bans announced are still in force.