GHS to conduct mandatory testing for persons in lockdown areas

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is to provide mandatory testing for all persons in the restricted areas of the Greater Accra Region and Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region to ascertain the actual number of persons infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) or otherwise.

Per a targeted strategy, the service intends continuing testing of all persons in mandatory quarantine after which all persons suspected to have come into contact with infected persons would be also tested, then after, all others would be tested during the two-week partial lockdown.

Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare who made this known at a news conference in Accra yesterday noted that the “strategic plan is to detect and contain the cases especially local transmissions.”

“We are increasing testing in this period so we are not waiting for people to develop symptoms, once there is a positive case, everyone in the household will be tested and in the community so we will be coming to your homes and we expect that you give us information on suspected cases,” he pointed out.

Dr Nsiah-Asare alluded to the fact that Ghana’s COVID-19 cases will possibly escalate with the intensified testing “but once we are able to plateau then we can begin to see a decline so we expect all Ghanaians to cooperate with us.”

He was quick to add however, that ongoing testing in other regions will not stop during the exercise in the restricted areas.

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye indicated that so far, 14 individuals are receiving treatment from their homes after undergoing management in isolation centres.

According to him, isolation centres had been designated in all regions for case management as more health staff are being trained and deployed to assist in contact tracing.

Dr Aboagye urged the public to remain calm under the present situation as all efforts were being made to contain the disease.

As it stands, Ghana has 152 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with two persons recovered and five others dead.

The cases mostly involve Ghanaians who have returned home from affected countries. 

Seven are of other nationals namely: Norway, Lebanon, China, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK). 

So far, some 170 countries across the globe have been hit by the pandemic with confirmed cases rising to about 600,000.

BY ABIGAIL ANNOH