One person infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) is in critical condition as the number of confirmed cases hits 132, data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) website indicates.
According to the Service, the patient is part of the 54 confirmed cases identified during routine surveillance activities by health officials.
One of them, however, is recovered, as 49 others, are responding to treatment.
Of those under mandatory quarantine, 78 persons have tested positive to the virus and all of them responding to treatment.
The death toll per the website, still stands at three and have all come from the 54 cases detected through regular surveillance.
“All the three cases that unfortunately succumbed to the disease were aged and had underlying chronic medical conditions,” the GHS explained.
“The other 51 cases are well; 14 are being managed at home and the rest are responding well to treatment on admission in isolation. They are awaiting their test results and will be discharged when the results are negative.”
In respect of contact tracing, a total of 970 contacts have been identified and are being tracked. Of the number, 204 have completed the 14 days mandatory follow- up.
Meanwhile, the GHS Disease Surveillance Department has asked the public to disregard information from any other source regarding Ghana’s COVID-19 situation other than the service’s designated website.
“We remain the single most authentic source for disease surveillance information in Ghana. Disregard any rumour from any other source. Visit ghanahealthservice.org/covid19 for current breakdown of case details,” it said.
Majority of Ghana’s confirmed cases, 78 are Ghanaians who returned home from affected countries.
Seven others are nationals of countries including Norway, Lebanon, China, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK).
The global COVID-19 cases are about 509,517 with nearly 122,227 people recovered and 23,008 deaths recorded as of yesterday.
So far, some 170 countries have been affected.
COVID-19 is a new form of coronaviruses that is associated with respiratory disorders and characterised by symptoms such as fever, sore throat, runny nose and breathing difficulties.
To prevent contracting the infection, members of the public are advised to adhere to precautionary measures including regular washing of hands with soap under running water and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers.
Avoid shaking of hands, keep distance of at least two meters from persons with signs of fever, cough, sneezing and difficulty in breathing, don’t touch face, eyes, mouth or nose with unwashed hands, be physically active, drink plenty of water, eat healthy, avoid stress and have enough sleep, health experts have advised.
In case of suspected cases members are to call the following emergency numbers; 112, 0509497700 and 0558439868.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
