As part of measures to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus in the country, all persons who may have come into contact with any patient who tested positive will also be tested for the virus.
This was announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo in a televised national address on Saturday 21st March 2020.
According to him, this forms part of measures to improve the contact-tracing process and make it easier and more effective to tackle the outbreak in the country.
He also stated that more personal equipment is being procured for the frontline workers as 50,000 test kits have already been ordered.
“Secondly, the Ministry of Health will not only step up its contact tracing efforts, but will also see to it that all persons who have been identified as having come into contact with infected persons are tested for the virus. More personal protection equipment is being procured to beef up supplies for our frontline health workers. Fifty thousand additional test kits have been ordered, and are expected in the country very shortly.”
So far, over 400 people have been identified to have come close to the Coronavirus patients in the country.
Cases in Ghana
Ghana has already recorded 21 cases of COVID-19, with one death recorded on Saturday, March 21, 2020, involving a 61-year old Lebanese resident in Ghana.
The latest novel coronavirus (COVID-19) updates from the Ghana Health Service suggest that cases of community spread may have been detected.
One of the cases involves a 34-year-old woman who was a “contact of a confirmed case at her place of work,” according to the Ghana Health Service.
by Nerteley Nettey
