Tests conducted on a suspected case of COVID 19 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital turned negative.
Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie confirmed this to Citi News.
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research was today, Friday, March 6, 2020, mandated to investigate the case which involved a Ghanaian woman based abroad who returned to the country for a medical procedure.
So far, Ghana has tested 46 suspected cases of the deadly virus, which proved negative.
In other parts of the world, it has claimed over 3, 412 lives and infected over 100,000 others in some 70 countries.
Almost 56,000 infected persons have also recovered.
“Just this afternoon, we received the report from Noguchi and the report is that it tested negative. It brings the total number of cases that have been evaluated to 46 and all of them are negative. So for now, we do not have any confirmed case in Ghana. Although some of them are pending, all those we have received are negative.”
With regards to the recent case referred to the Noguchi Memorial Institute, Dr. Sarkodie said: “The patient comes for a regular check-up every year so, in the process, the temperature went up and based on the responses she gave, other people somewhere else suspected that it will be COVID-19 so that is why she was investigated for a possible case.”
The patient’s history revealed that she had travelled from a country and state where COVID-19 had been diagnosed.
She also had mild respiratory symptoms and thus met the case definition for a suspected case of COVID-19 as defined by the Ghana Health Service.
The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital reported that other laboratory investigations suggested a bacterial infection and she was started on antibiotics.
It was then that her samples were taken to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for testing.
This is the second time the hospital is recording a suspected case of the deadly disease.
The first one which involved two Chinese nationals tested negative after examination and testing by the Noguchi Medical Research Institute.
Coronavirus in Africa
The first case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Africa was recorded on 14th February 2020 in Egypt.
Senegal, Nigeria and Togo have both confirmed one case each.
So far more than 100,000 cases have been confirmed while about 3,110 others have died from the novel coronavirus.
Maintain personal hygiene
Meanwhile, the government has urged the public to maintain good personal hygiene to ensure that an outbreak of the disease is prevented.
The common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs.
People are also urged to avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.