The health scare that got the nation sitting on tenterhooks on Thursday has been allayed. The scare was said to be suspected cases of the dreaded coronavirus.
According to medical officials later on Thursday, the two cases of suspected coronavirus in Ghana tested negative, bringing huge relief to citizens who became apprehensive after reports. Two men – an Argentine and a Chinese national – were quarantined after displaying symptoms of the virus after going to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital, Accra, for treatment.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Health on Thursday said there have been nine suspected cases of the Coronavirus in Ghana but all of them have tested negative. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, the head of disease surveillance at the Ghana Health Service, said the negative results should allay the public’s fears. Ghanaian health officials say they will continue to maintain preventive measures to ensure the new virus does not enter the country.
So far the recent outbreak has killed 565 people and infected 28,018 in all. The two foreigners who have been staying together in Accra for some days now, reported to Korle Bu on Wednesday evening with symptoms suspected to be similar to the virus which has claimed more than 500 lives in China.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Daniel Asare said the two suspected cases of the novel coronavirus in Ghana were tested at the Noguchi Memorial Institute.
WHO officials have said 24 countries, encompassing most of Africa’s population, will receive the material needed to conduct the tests by the end of the week. Nigeria, Ghana, Madagascar and Sierra Leone have received the supplies for testing just this week.Medical teams from 15 African nations are convened in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday for an emergency workshop on the first layer of preparedness for the virus.
Various countries have imposed travel restrictions to a varying degree like Singapore, US and Australia which are denying entry to all foreign visitors who have recently been to China.
