Ghana’s total count of confirmed COVID-19 cases from the 12th of March to 15th May 2020 stands at 5,530. A total of 24 deaths have been recorded for the same period. In addition, there have been a total of 674 recoveries.
The Ghana situation is a bit tricky because the country had been trying to catch up with the virus after the pandemic hit the country. Even with enhanced testing and contact tracing, most of the results and data being fed citizens have been from testing available backlogs which were also being added on regularly.
However, information from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) indicates that the testing facilities have been able to clear their backlogs.
In an interview on Happy 98.9 FM’s Happy Morning Show with host, Samuel Eshun, Kofi Bonney PhD. Senior Research Fellow at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has disclosed that with the backlogs cleared, “Ghanaians will soon be receiving daily and real-time updates on COVID-19.”
He acknowledged the fact that the additional testing centres set up by the government in other parts of the country also contributed immensely to the clearing of the backlogs.
The researcher applauded the government for undertaking rigorous contact tracing saying, “If the contact tracing had not been done we would’ve recorded more deaths.”
Dr. Bonney advised the government to increase its educational efforts on the COVID-19 front and warned that if care was not taken, more people will suffer from underlying health conditions with the virus also spreading further. “Some Ghanaians have taken the entire COVID-19 fight for granted. If we keep on disregarding preventive measures, we will pay dearly for it,” he mentioned.
By: Joel Sanco