With fifty-four new cases as of 1115 hours on Thursday, March 26, Ghana’s total confirmed cases of COVID-19 jumped to 132.
The total number of deaths, however, remains three.
Until the update, provided by the GHS’s portal designated to inform citizens about the pandemic, the total case count was 68.
The GHS explained that 54 of the cases, including the three deaths, were confirmed from the regular surveillance systems, the 78 cases were recorded among the 1030 travellers under mandatory quarantine.
“All the three cases that unfortunately succumbed to the disease were aged and had underlying chronic medical conditions,” it said.
“All 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”.
The great majority of the confirmed cases, it said, were Ghanaians, who returned home from affected countries.
Seven are, however, nationals from Norway, Lebanon, China, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK).
With contact tracing, it said, a total of 970 contacts had been identified and were being tracked. Out of these, 204 had completed the 14-day mandatory follow up.
The Government has, meanwhile, asked for cooperation from citizens to ensure protective behaviour and effective testing, quarantine and proper case management regimes.
“These are not ordinary times,” the President has emphasised, and public officials have reiterated, in urging compliance to preventive and response measures.
These include observing social distance (at least keeping two metres away from each other in public spaces, the regular washing of hands under running water with soap, the use of high volume alcohol based sanitizers, and coughing and sneezing into disposable tissues.
Those who have been in contact with people exposed to the respiratory virus have also been encouraged to step out for testing.
Additionally, family members of those in quarantine have been told to physically stay away from them for the 14-day mandatory period.
On calls for a total lockdown, the President has said in view of its definite crippling consequence on the social and economic life on citizens, it would be implemented when it became an imperative.
