Cases of the novel coronavirus in Ghana have hit 27 while the death toll has hit 2.
The Ghana Health Service confirmed the new cases on its website.
A total of 521 suspected patients, according to the Ghana Health Service, were tested for COVID-19 by Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR).
“Out of the suspected, twenty-seven (27) cases including two (2) deaths have been confirmed. All the twenty-five (25) confirmed cases are receiving treatment in isolation,” the statement added.
The Ghana Health Service stated that among the confirmed cases, “20 are of Ghanaian nationality, majority of whom returned home from affected countries. Seven (7) are of other nationals namely: Norway, Lebanon, China, France, UK.”
In respect of contact tracing, a total of 598 contacts have been identified and are being tracked, according to the Service.
“One (1) of the contacts developed symptoms and has been confirmed positive. Nineteen (19) people have completed the 14 days of mandatory follow up,” the statement added.
The update from the Ghana Health Service, however, did not give out, the identity of the country’s second COVID-19 related death.
Coronavirus patient dies in Kumasi
Over the weekend, the Lebanese patient among those confirmed to have contracted the novel coronavirus in Ghana died.
The deceased, a 61-year-old man, reported to a health facility in Kumasi with a fever and cough.
His temperature was 39.4 degrees Celcius.
It is not clear whether his death was a direct result of the virus.
A deputy Minister of Health, Alexander Abban, told Citi News that “the information I got from the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service is that that person [the Lebanese man] has died. He died today.”
