Tag: coronavirus in Ghana

Ghana has recorded 1042 positive cases of COVID-19 and 99 recovery cases. More than 60,000 people whose samples were collected through contact tracing and other enhanced testing approaches have tested negative for the virus.

However, rumourmongers have cast doubts over the number of positive cases, saying the samples of some of the people who have tested positive might not be the actual case. The claim is that there might be “false positve” cases.

Addressing the issue, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye debunked the claims that there may be persons mistakenly testing positive for Coronavirus in the country.

Although admitting the possibility of “false” positive cases when conducting a test, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye explained that the Health Service uses the global Polymerise Chain Reaction (PCR) test to check for the presence of the virus in the samples.

The PCR test is a method used to detect viral genetic material called RNA or antigen to tell whether or not someone has the virus. This testing technique is used globally to check the presence of COVID-19.

The GHS Director-General wants Ghanaians to know that the research centers in charge of testing samples for the virus are using this standard method and there is no way any result could be faulty.

“It detects the virus to locate where the virus is. What they are doing is very specific for COVID-19. So, if you use some rapid test to check your antibody meaning your body producing something when you become exposed, that is what can give you false positive. But for what we’re doing, I can assure that, short of maybe a missing report; I won’t say false positive is a problem’,’ he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ program.

Source: peacefmonline.com

The Eastern Regional Health Director, Dr. Alberta Biritwum Nyarko has allayed fears of a possible spread of COVID-19 in Akwapim North Municipal area.
Her comments come after two women who return from Holland and London respectively tested positive for COVID-19.

The two returned to Ghana in March this year and there are fears they could have infected more people in the Akuapim North area.

The identities of the two women has not been revealed, but the health directorate in the Eastern Region says immediately the two arrived, they were able to trace and quarantine them.

Their samples were taken and the results came out positive. Persons who are said to have come in contact with the two have also been quarantined and are awaiting their test results.

The Eastern Region has recorded 51 positive cases becoming the region with the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases after Greater Accra and the Ashanti Region.

Ghana’s COVID-19 cases as of April 19, 2020, stands at 1,042 with 9 deaths and 99 recoveries.

Greater Accra has the highest number of cases 882 with, the Ashanti Region following suit with 62.

The Western Region is the least affected region so far with regards to the case count has they have only recorded 1.

In all 10 out of the 16 regions have so far recorded COVID-19 cases.

Source: primenewsghana.com

Over 50 persons were on Tuesday denied entry into the Accra City Hall for not wearing a face mask as part of measures to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

The measure forms part of efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of staff of the assembly as well as other visitors into its premises.

According to the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah who gave the directive, as long as one could get a cloth to cover his or her face and mouth, they would be allowed entry into the city hall.

He added that these measures would help slow the spread of the Coronavirus especially from people who may have the virus but do not know.

He noted that henceforth everyone coming into the city centre would be required to wear a face mask as directed by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The Assembly last week launched a campaign to promote the wearing of a face mask in the city.

The Accra City Hall which is being managed by Listening Bureau, a property management company is disability-friendly and can boast of ancillary facilities such as a 300-capacity conference room, meeting rooms, cafeteria, landscaping (greening) and a 200-capacity car park.

Ghana has currently recorded 1,042 COVID-19 cases with nine deaths. 99 persons who were infected with COVID-19 have recorded.

The disease has been recorded in ten out of 16 regions in Ghana.

Source: AMA

Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah has issued instructions to the courts to hear only cases that are of “extreme urgency”, as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

He also says the courts must not willy-nilly remand accused persons.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, 21 April 2020, the Chief Justice said: “Judges and magistrates should only hear cases which are of extreme urgency” and “as far as possible, exercise great restraint in remanding accused persons in order to avoid overcrowding the prisons and police cells”.

The CJ added: “Judges and magistrates should dispense with the appearance of convicted and remand prisoners where possible”.

“In criminal appeals”, he noted, “the courts, where possible, should dispense with the appearance of the appellants who are in prison custody”.

Ghana has, so far, recorded 1,042 cases with nine deaths and 99 recoveries.

Source: classfmonline.com

Dr. Lord Graceful Mensah, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Ho Teaching Hospital Tuesday said presentation of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to health institutions boosts morale of staff to up the fight against COVID19.

“PPE are essential. They boost our morale to do more so when we receive such donations, we are happy and prepared to take good care of all patients…,” he said.

Dr. Mensah said this when Mr Francis Albert Nyonyo Agboada, Member of Council of State for the Volta Region donated assorted PPE worth GHC100,000.00 to the Ho Teaching Hospital and the Anloga Health Centre in the Anloga District.

He expressed gratitude to Mr Agboada for the gesture and said workers were happy the facility was not forgotten in the wake of the Coronavirus disease.

“It feels good when you work and your performance is recognized so we are happy and we say thank you,” Dr.Mensah added.

Mr Kofi Humado, Member of Parliament for Anlo, who presented the items on behalf of the Member of Council of State, said the presentation, also under the auspices of the Nyonyo Foundation, was necessitated by the seriousness of the pandemic, requiring the support of all.

Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister who received the items on behalf of the institutions commended Mr Agboada for the items and said concerted efforts were needed to fight the pandemic and reiterated the need for all to comply with the social distancing protocols and other precautionary measures.

The Volta Region has a total of ten confirmed cases of COVID19, with the patients said to be in stable condition receiving treatment.

Source: GNA

The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has said it will begin testing commercial vehicle drivers and market women for Coronavirus.

The Directorate has classified these persons as those in high-risk groups since they come into contact with a lot of people as part of their daily activities.

Tests will only be conducted for willing persons, according to the directorate.

The measure, according to the Directorate is part of its enhanced surveillance to trace more contacts suspected to be carrying the virus.

The Ashanti Region has recorded 68 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang asked residents to continue observing the laid down safety protocols.

“We are also considering testing highrisk groups. The high-risk groups are the frontline workers, taxi drivers, uber drivers, market women, trotro drivers. These are people who come into contact with a lot of people. They will undergo voluntary testing.”

The disinfection of public and private Senior High Schools has also begun in all 42 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Ashanti Region.

A total of 134 public and 53 private Senior High Schools (SHSs), as well as, three Special Schools in the region would be fumigated over a ten-day period.

Government indicates that the ongoing exercise to disinfect Senior High Schools in the country is targeted at ridding buildings and facilities of rodents, bedbugs and other insects.

Source: citinewsroom 

The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare has through her Director of Political Affairs (DPA) presented over 500 packs of food and water to people who live in slums and squarters.

Presenting the food, Asiedu Bekoe (DPA) popularly known as Protozoa said the Chief of Staff has noticed with admiration the effort of the MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Hon. Lydia Seyram Alhassan, MCE for Ayawaso West Municipal, Hon. Sandra Owusu-Ahinkorah and Corporate organisations towards the poor.

She is also aware of the fact that from this week the Buffer Stock Company through NADMO will commence the sharing of uncooked food to households: what she is doing now is to augment all these efforts as she has being doing but this time with concentration on squarters.

The Chief of Staff will continue to share cooked food because as a former two-term MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon she is aware of groups of people who have no means of cooking their own food because they have no coooking utensils or coal pots.

You will find such people in the fitting shops, sleeping in front of shops, hawking etc.

As a mother these are the people she is targeting. Most of these people cannot immediately go to work because they have either lost their capital as a result of the Covid 19 or it will take sometime for business to start.

Hon. Frema Osei-Opare will also like to take the opportunity to educate the public and beneficiaries that the lifting of the restriction calls for more carefulness so as they enjoy their new found freedom and food they should think of the caution they have to exercise as they go back to work.

They must wear their mask and observe all the hygiene protocols to stay fit.

Source: Dickson Boadi, Contributor

Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has commended Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL), various municipal assemblies in Accra, and the security services who took part in the three-day deep cleaning exercise of Accra.

According to the minister, her ministry was satisfied with the deep clean-up exercise by the above institutions, adding that the central government was highly appreciative of their efforts.

Madam Dapaah made the commendation while on an inspection tour of some of the places that benefited from the exercise, immediately after the disinfection of markets, lorry parks and other public places against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

She was accompanied by some of her chief directors, the Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw-Agyepong, Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, and some senior security officers.

The inspection tour took the sanitation minister to the shoulders of the Tema motorway Agbogbloshie, Burma Camp and the Nima highway areas.

Though happy with the clean-up exercise, Madam Dapaah stressed the need for, especially residents in these areas, and the entire Greater Accra Region to ensure that their environs are always clean.

She was, however, not happy that some recalcitrant residents had already started littering these areas which were clean recently, a situation which compelled her to direct residents living along the Tema motorway to sweep and keep the place clean.

While on the motorway, she used the opportunity to educate the tollbooth workers on the need to make sure that the tickets they issue are not littered indiscriminately around the booths environ.

At the Agbogbloshie market where dredging works were on-going in the Odaw river, Madam Dapaah said that the government had secured a World Bank fund for the project.

She said the first phase of it was to ensure that all plastic materials were removed from the Odaw, which would then be followed by scooping and dredging of the river properly.

That, she indicated, will help clear all the debris in the river, and prevent flooding, particularly when the rains were about to set in. She indicated that the Chemu Lagoon was also a part of the dredging exercise including the drains on the Nima Highway.

For his part, the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, gave the assurance that his outfit together with the local government ministry would enforce the sanitation bye-laws, warning that offenders would be dealt with according to the full width of the law.

According to him, plans were underway to fence off the lagoon to prevent refuse from being dumped into it.

He disclosed that open spaces would also be created within the market environ to help relocate some of the traders.

Furthermore, Mohammed Adjei Sowah revealed that during the partial lockdown, he donated food items and cash to about two hundred and eighty-four (284) residents within the Agbogbloshie area.

Source: Emmanuella Awere, Contributor

Dr. Simon Gbene, the Western Regional Director of the Veterinary Services has confirmed the preparedness of the service to handle any COVID-19 sample for testing and confirmation or otherwise.

He said the service had a well-resourced three-level standard laboratory, which is of international standard to handle difficult germs and viruses such as the deadly Coronavirus.

Dr. Gbene explained further to the Ghana News Agency in an interview that there were four levels or types of laboratories all over the world and the third level, which the Region had -the Biosecurity laboratory, which was capable of handling “stubborn viruses and germs”.

The President in an address on Sunday night mentioned the Regional Veterinary Services Department as one of the centres to run test of samples on the COVID-19.

Already, according to Dr. Gbene, the Regional Minister Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, had visited the facility and with the assistance of Eagle’s Properties, donated GH¢25, 000 for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to ensure the full take off by next week.

The Regional Veterinary Director said, “We are only waiting for the certification and inspection from the Noguchi Team, which is the main reference laboratory to enable us to start work”.

He, however, stressed the need for constant supplies of PPEs to aid in their work adding, “these PPEs are mostly disposable and so, we will need them most of the time and that is why am calling on benevolent institutions to begin turning their attention to the Services to enable us to also deliver on our mandate”.

Source: GNA

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed that the construction of a 100-bed Infectious Disease and Isolation Facility at the Ga East Municipal Hospital will be completed in six(6) weeks.

The President made this revelation in his 7th Nation Address on Sunday, April 18, 2020 on the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, the construction of the facility will be undertaken by a 48-Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces and funded through a public-private partnership.

”Last Friday, I was honoured to do the virtual sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a 100-bed Infectious Disease and Isolation Facility at the Ga East Municipal Hospital, which is being funded through a public-private partnership, under the leadership of the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund., and whose construction, with the assistance of the 48-Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, will be completed in six (6) weeks. Members of the Private Sector Fund have, indeed, acted like citizens, and not spectators, in these testing times for our country, and their patriotism is to be loudly praised”, the President indicated.

He further outlined other measures by the government to fight the pandemic saying ”we have also scaled up the domestic production of personal protective equipment, and our health care facilities, so far, have taken delivery of fourteen thousand, five hundred and fifty (14,550) scrubs, eleven thousand, nine hundred (11,900) gowns, nineteen thousand, nine hundred and eighty (19,980) head covers, two hundred and sixty-three thousand, two hundred and eighty one (263,281) nose masks, thirteen thousand, and two (13,002) N-95 nose masks. Forty-one thousand, one hundred and seventeen (41,117) varying sizes of sanitizers have also been produced locally and delivered to our health facilities”.

COVID-19 Case Count

Ghana has recorded 1042 cases of the COVID-19 with 99 recovery cases and 9 deaths. Over 60000 people whose samples were taken have tested negative.

The percentage of positive cases stands at 1.5% out of 68,591 samples.

There is a backlog of eighteen thousand (18000) tests whose results are yet to be released.

”Fellow Ghanaians, since the first two (2) cases of infections were recorded on our shores, we have, till date, traced some eighty-six thousand (86,000) contacts, out of which we have test results of sixty-eight thousand, five hundred and ninety-one (68,591) contacts. There is, thus, a backlog of some eighteen thousand (18,000) tests whose results are yet to be received.

The overwhelming majority of these contacts have been established in the last three weeks of the partial lockdown in Accra and Kumasi. Out of this number, one thousand and forty-two (1,042) persons, i.e. 1.5%, have been confirmed as positive, with sixty-seven thousand, five hundred and forty-nine (67,549), i.e. 98.5%, testing negative; ninety-nine (99) persons have recovered and have been discharged; and nine hundred and thirty (930) persons, who have been isolated, are responding to treatment either in their homes or in treatment facilities. These nine hundred and thirty (930) persons, after their treatment, will soon undergo the mandatory two (2) tests to determine if they have also recovered from the virus or otherwise”, portions of the President’s speech read.

Source: peacefmonline.com

Health professionals working at the Begoro Government Hospital in the Eastern Region where one case of the deadly coronavirus was recorded are being stigmatized by the people in the area.

While commercial vehicles have been refusing to pick them, traders, on the other hand, are unwilling to sell to them or take money from them on the suspicion that they may have also been infected.

A 65-year-old mango seller who admitted to the male ward of the facility in the Fanteakwa North District on April 5 was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus almost a week after although he had no travel history.

The ward has since been disinfected.

Personnel who came in contact with the patient have also gone into quarantine and their samples taken for testing.

But the Deputy Director of Nursing Services at the Hospital, Millicent Annor, has expressed worry over stigmatization from the people.

“The patient is stable now, but the stigma attached to the hospital and the staff is not good at all. Now taxis are refusing to pick us because they think we will transmit the virus to them,” she said when an NDC aspiring MP, Haruna Appau Wiredu, donated some items to the facility.

Sounding emotional, she added” our staff go out to buy porridge in the morning and the porridge seller refuse to take the money from them. This is so bad!”

Ms Annor requested that the GPRTU in the area make special arrangements to transport health workers to the facility.

“If the GPRTU will make arrangements to ask all health workers to converge at a point so they pick us to work, that would be very appreciated,” she said.

Some residents who spoke to 3news.com said they fear contracting the disease should they get in contact with the health workers

Already, 3news.com has gathered the emergency health team in the area is battling with residents on getting an isolation centre.

Meanwhile, the aspiring MP has donated hand washing items to other health facilities, market women and transport unions in the district to help them prevent contracting the coronavirus.

Source: 3news.com

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has pledged its unflinching support to the government in the ongoing national fight against the novel Coronavirus, even though the lockdown they advocated some 21 days ago, has been lifted by President Akufo-Addo.

The Association made the pledge when they met with President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House at his invitation to pick their thoughts and concerns over government’s approach to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a brief remark, Dr. Frank Ankobea, President of the Ghana Medical Association, observed that the association recognises the difficult situation the country finds itself in but remains loyal and fully committed to the national agenda to trace, test and treat COVID-19 patients as well as to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

“We are so happy that you invited us this morning to discuss the pertinent issues. All we need to do is to pledge our support to government that we are going to continue with you, we are going to fight till this virus is eliminated from Ghana,” the GMA President, Dr Ankobea said.

President Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo in his remarks noted that his administration was compelled to lift the restriction on movement in Greater Accra, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi because consistently, test results over the last three weeks have remained constant in terms of infection rate, death rate, persons who are moderately ill, amongst others.

“It is that constancy, that robustness of the data that we have in Ghana, that is inspiring our decisions,” President Akufo-Addo said.

“As President of this country, I cannot also ignore the impact that this lockdown is having on several constituencies of our country, specifically those who are a very important part of the Ghanaian equation, the people who live, if you like, ‘hand-to-mouth,’ informal workers who need to have a day out in the market one form or the other for their families, who are having a lot of difficulty,” President Akufo-Addo added.

Source: classfmonline.com

President Nana Akufo-Addo has disclosed that 280 million cedis has been allocated to absorb water bills for Ghanaians in the months of April, May and June.

This amount also covers relief packages to the vulnerable in society.

Delivering his seventh update on COVID-19, President Akufo-Addo highlighted that GHC 1.2 billion has been contributed towards the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme which is to provide livelihood for households and also support businesses in the country.

According to him, the government is hopeful the alleviation programme will help cushion Ghanaians as the nation fights against the COVID-19 pandemic.

”I know the effects of the measures to contain the virus have been difficult for many, and that is why I mandated the creation of the GH¢1.2 billion Coronavirus Alleviation Programme to support households and businesses. Out of this amount, two hundred and eighty million cedis (GH¢280 million) is being used to provide food for the vulnerable and free water for all Ghanaians for three (3) months, i.e. April, May and June, three hundred and twenty-three million cedis (GH¢323 million) is being used to motivate our health workers, and six hundred million cedis (GH¢600 million) of assistance is being provided to micro, small and medium-scale businesses. I expect disbursements of the six hundred million cedis to start in May’,’ he said.

Source: peacefmonline.com

Some 21 persons have been ordered into self-quarantine by the district health authorities of the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region for fear of COVID-19.

The decision to put the persons into self-quarantine with supervision from health authorities became necessary after they are traced as persons to have had contacts with a person who is now a confirmed COVID-19 patient.

According to the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Hon. Thomas Moore Zonyrah, the 48 years old Ghanaian who tested positive for the virus and in isolation center at the Ho Teaching Hospital when traveling from Accra to Ho made a stopover at the Central Tongu District where he visited relatives in a village.

All these relatives are traced by the district’s contact tracing technical team and subsequently asked to self-quarantine.

The DCE further revealed that blood samples from the 21 persons have been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research in Accra for testing.

The persons, according to the DCE are doing well and stable and are closely monitored in self-quarantine by the contact tracing technical team for early detection of signs and symptoms.

The DCE, however, called on residents of the area to remain calm as they await the test results of the 21 persons.

He also admonished the residents to keep observing the recommended health protocols in order to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus which has claimed the lives of nine individuals in the country.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Nigeria has recorded 19 coronavirus related deaths, says the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The Centre made this known in a tweet, saying the deaths were recorded as at Saturday, April 18.

It says confirmed cases were 541 and discharged 166.

It however says “yesterday, we erroneously reported one new case in Ekiti. This was wrong and was caused by an error in the verification process.”

“Therefore, as at April 18, 2020, there are 541 confirmed cases, 166 discharged and 19 deaths.”

Amongst the recorded coronavirus deaths was that of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

Kyari died of the lethal infection after testing positive for it earlier in March.

He was buried on Saturday at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja according to Islamic rites.

Source: punchng

Ghana remains closed to the outside world for four more weeks.

The extension of the borders was announced by President Akufo-Addo in a televised address to the nation on Sunday, April 19, 2020.

The country closed its land, sea and air borders some weeks ago after the country recorded its first few cases of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: ABCNewsgh.com

Persons awaiting their test results for the new coronavirus are isolated from the public, the Minister for Information has assured.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says such persons from the routine surveillance and contract tracing are isolated in their homes.

According to him, the ones who are found by health officials not to be adhering to the isolation protocols are taken to the state-manned isolation centres.

He explained this is to ensure that the risk of other persons being exposed to the virus is minimised as much as possible, if the results of those tested turn out to be positive.

He said when the result is positive, the ambulance then conveys those isolating at home to a treatment centre.

Mr. Nkrumah disclosed this on The Lockdown on JoyNews Sunday evening.

Addressing other issues on the show, the Information Minister said public sector workers will receive their full salaries despite some of them being unable to work fully due to the restrictions put in place to contain the Covid-19.

Source: myjoyonline 

The fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic has been very intense in most Africa countries but some citizens are not helping the government in this fight.

One of the ways to stop the spread of this virus is put on nose mask when needed and avoid touching “MEN”.

The mask according to health professionals should be dispose into bin immediately after use to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

But not in the case of these women.

Adwoaadubianews has sighted on some images of women washing used nose masks to resell them after.

According to sources, they move around to pick, wash them and sell to people.

Please watch Images below

Source: adwoaadubianews.com

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has observed that the results of a backlog of some 18,000 tests are still pending.

He explained, since the first two cases of infections were recorded in Ghana, “we have, till date, traced some 86,000 contacts, out of which we have test results of 68,591 contacts.”

He added, “the overwhelming majority of these contacts have been established in the last three weeks of the partial lockdown in Accra and Kumasi.”

Akufo-Addo his live televised address to the nation on Sunday [AApril 19,2020] noted, “Out of this number, 1,042 persons, i.e. 1.5%, have been confirmed as positive, with 67,549, i.e. 98.5%, testing negative; 99 persons have recovered and have been discharged; and 930 persons, who have been isolated, are responding to treatment either in their homes or in treatment facilities.”

He said the 930 persons, after their treatment, will again undergo the mandatory two tests to determine if they have also recovered from the virus or otherwise.

The president indicated that, the main reason our country has seen an increase in the number of confirmed cases over the last three-weeks is because of the aggressive decision government took to trace and test contacts of infected persons.

“This has enabled us to identify and isolate infected persons, protect the population from further infections, and contain better the spread of the virus. Indeed, Ghana is the only other country in Africa to have conducted more than sixty thousand tests, and we are ranked number one in Africa in administering tests per million people,” he stressed.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana has so far tested 68,591 since the first two cases of infections were recorded, the President has said.

According to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the number of cases tested so far was out of some 86,000 contacts which the country has traced till date.

“There is, thus, a backlog of some 18,000 tests whose results are yet to be received,” Akufo-Addo announced during his address to the nation on Sunday [April 19, 2020].

He explained that “the overwhelming majority of these contacts have been established in the last three weeks of the partial lockdown in Accra and Kumasi. Out of this number, 1,042 persons, i.e. 1.5%, have been confirmed as positive, with 67,549, i.e. 98.5%, testing negative; 99 persons have recovered and have been discharged; and 930 persons, who have been isolated, are responding to treatment either in their homes or in treatment facilities.”

Akufo-Addo observed that, the 930 persons, after their treatment, will again undergo the mandatory two tests to determine if they have also recovered from the virus or otherwise.

The president further stated that, the main reason our country has seen an increase in the number of confirmed cases over the last three-weeks is because of the aggressive decision government took to trace and test contacts of infected persons.

“This has enabled us to identify and isolate infected persons, protect the population from further infections, and contain better the spread of the virus. Indeed, Ghana is the only other country in Africa to have conducted more than sixty thousand tests, and we are ranked number one in Africa in administering tests per million people,” he noted.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The police at Lakeside Estate have arrested 19 persons for breaching the restriction orders of the president and the social distancing protocol.

The persons, arrested for holding a Muslim traditional marriage ceremony included 14 females and five males.

Information gathered indicated that other persons involved including the couple escaped arrest when the police stormed the house.

The Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer DSP Effia Tenge when contacted said the police had information of the Muslim traditional marriage being held in the house and stormed the venue around 11:30am on Saturday, April 18.

“The suspects were all detained for a while and later granted police enquiry bail to be reporting daily while further investigations are being conducted before prosecution, ” she said.

A report by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) indicates that the structure used as an isolation centre for the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga is a death trap.

According to the report, the building which has not seen any form of renovation for a very long time has deep-seated cracks with several of the roofing sheets rotten giving way for direct sun rays into the building.

The building which is itself sick according to the GBC report can house only four patients but the Upper East region has recorded eight cases with one death and therefore there will not be able to contain the numbers should the region add more.

The building which is located at the Upper East regional hospital is said to have been built some five decades ago and with its deplorable state, pillars holding the building have all be exposed.

Some residents who spoke to GBC News in Bolgatanga said the building needs to be changed because the current building cannot be inhabited by human beings considering their plight at the moment.

Source: mynewsgh.com

Torgbe Kpodo Kavi V, Chief of Avegorme in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region, said it was time Ghanaians appreciated private burials and incorporated it into the local culture.

He said private burials lessened financial burdens, saved time and promoted good hygiene and should be accepted by all, especially at the time of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Togbe Kavi in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said, “if you think you do not have enough money to keep the dead at the mortuary, it is better you get about five to ten people in the family and do private burial to save money for the upkeep of children who would go to school after the pandemic,” he said.

He asked residents in his traditional area not to treat the case of the pandemic lightly as the Volta Region had already recorded nine cases of the disease, urging bereaved families in the area to quickly organise private burials.

“Let us adhere to the directives,” Togbe Kavi said, stressing strict adherence to no social gathering.

Source: GNA

As people adapt to life under quarantine and preventative measures, a cab driver in Ghana has taken some precautions to protect himself and passengers.

The driver has set-up hand-washer on his vehicle to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

A video, posted on Facebook by Maam Yaa, shows an automatic hand-wash unit placed on the taxi and a passenger is seen making use of the invention.

The innovation has received applause and has equally garnered larger viewership on Facebook.

Ghana has recorded over 800 cases of COVID-19 which has killed 9 people with over 80 recoveries.

The regular washing of hands using an alcohol-based sanitizer or soap is one of the key steps recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

They also urge people to maintain a social distance, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth as well as covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.

The country has shut down its borders as well as lockdown some cities with high cases.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has also issued a directive urging people to avoid shaking hands or hugging.

A taxi driver has set-up an automated hand washer to help combat Coronavirus.

Credit: Ghanaweb pic.twitter.com/kowkFebNZM

— Ghana Sports Facts (@FreemanYeboa) April 19, 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com