Western Region now hotspot for coronavirus in Ghana

The Western Region is now the hotspot of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Ghana.

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye who made this known Tuesday said the new cases are being recorded in Tarkwa, Sekondi and Takoradi.

Hitherto, the Ashanti Region, precisely in Obuasi and Kumasi were the hotspots but that has now shifted to the Western Region.

The Western Region as of Tuesday morning [May 26, 2020] had recorded a total of 334 cases of the disease.

Related article: Ashanti Region: Obuasi identified as Coronavirus hotspot

The Obuasi area alone in Ashanti has recorded 272 cases out of the total regional count of 1,066.

Addressing a press briefing Tuesday morning, Dr Kuma Aboagye said Obuasi was currently under control, however, a lot more cases are emerging in the Western Region which needs to be dealt with.

He added that a team has been sent to the Western Region to bring the situation under control.

He said:

"Ashanti Region also remains another key area where the Kumasi metro and Obuasi, but Obuasi is really under control and they are reporting virtually no [new] case now."

"The new hotspot is in Western Region, who reported about 57 new cases and these are currently,... look like one of the new hotspots that are surging. Its mainly the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis and then Tarkwa, so a team will be going there to see how we can quickly assist the region to bring it under control the same way as we did in Obuasi. Even though the region has already isolated and identified and self isolated the people, and are doing enhanced contact tracing to enhance containment."

New case in Savanna Region

The Director-General of the GHS said the first case in the Savanna Region has been recorded and that it is a 31-year-old who works in Salaga but lives in Tamale.

He said the sample was taken on the 15th [of May] as part of the enhanced surveillance and that the regions where there are no cases yet, "we continue to do searches of at-risk people and this is how this person was picked. So the case was picked in East Gonja, the person is asymptomatic, cooperative and in self-isolation."

In Tamale, he said they've had 12 contacts and some in Northern Region and they are all being followed up for the next 14 days.

• Read also: 
• COVID-19: Ghana case count increases to 6,964
• Coronavirus: WHO halts trials of hydroxychloroquine over safety fears
• Fighting COVID-19: Wear mask, maintain social distance
• Govt receives 10 ventilators to fight Covid-19

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

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