Ghana has recorded its first death from Covid-19, as total confirmed cases shoot to 21.
According to the Ghana Health Service website, as of Saturday, March 21, “Ghana records two new cases of COVID-19 with one death. This leaves the existing case count in the country to be 21.”
The death was recorded in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. Whatsup News gathered that the deceased is a 61-year-old Lebanese resident in Ghana.
He is said to have reported to a health facility in Kumasi with a fever and cough and may have had an underlying health situation that may have been capitalised upon by the Covid-19.
Meanwhile, in a live broadcast on Saturday night, President Akufo Add revealed that eight out of the 20 active cases of COVID-19 in Ghana are being managed from home.
Ghana’s reported cases are escalating exponentially as figures jumped from just three to 21 within one week as over 600 more people are reported to have come in contact with these carriers of Covid-19.
The reality of the disease appears to have jolted the Akufo Addo government into alertness as it now frantically seek restrictions which have been suggested to its several weeks ago.
Amidst calls for prayers, the President announced a mandatory quarantine of travellers entering Ghana
“Everyone who comes into the country before Sunday will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus,” the President stated.
The President also announced the closure of the country’s borders effective midnight on Sunday.
“All our borders; by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday,” he added in the address.
Meanwhile, the government has been forced to revert to the multi-million-dollar University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), as one of the Intensive Care Units (ICU) for Covid-19 cases. The UGMC is one of several health facilities the Akufo Addo administration had left to rot for almost four years now.
Whatsup News also gathered that the Ministry of Health has started moves to convert some of the hostels in the University of Ghana-Legon into holding centres for expected explosion in Covid-19 cases in Ghana. Jean Nelson Hostel in the University has been reportedly earmarked for the purpose.
Globally, the rampage of the deadly coronavirus appears to be advancing unabated with Italy fast overtaking China as the main transmission hubs in the world. Italian confirmed cases tops more than 53,000 currently with almost 5,000 deaths.
Globally, approximately 316,000 people have been infected with roughly 13,500 recorded deaths.