COVID-19: Ghana's Case Count Now 636, Over 44,000 Tested

Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed that the country has recorded 70 more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of persons with COVID-19 to 636.

Per the GHS' latest update on its website, "as of 13th April 2020, at 23:00HRS, a total of 44,421 persons have been tested with 636 being positive for COVID-19."

In the past two weeks since the institution of enhanced surveillance, restriction of movement and continuous public education to prevent the spread of cases of COVID-19. This has resulted in "intensive contact tracing and testing" leading to the recording of several cases.

According to the GHS, the breakdown of the 636 positive cases are as follows: "seventeen (17) have been treated, reverted to negative on repeat tests and discharged, 605 cases have been categorised as mild disease and are on treatment, two (2) are categorized as moderate to severe cases, none in critical state currently and eight (8) have died."

However, "of the 636 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 268 were reported from the routine surveillance, 253 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale.

Regions that have reported cases are Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Western, Volta, Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions," the GHS said. 

17 Recoveries

Earlier on Tuesday, the GHS disclosed that seventeen (17) persons have fully recovered from the Coronavirus infection.

"We have 17 persons who have recorded negatives and are obviously clinically cured," Dr. Patrick Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service disclosed at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Medically, before a person is officially declared to have fully recovered from the virus, he/she has to test negative twice.

Meanwhile, there are a further sixty-six (66) people who have also tested negative but are not included in the full recovery cases because they are yet to conduct a second test on them.

The number of recovery cases will come to 83 after their results prove negative on second testing, hopefully.