Two out of over 50 tested samples in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region have come out positive for COVID-19.
According to the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Ningo Prampram Assembly, Jonathan Teye Doku, the samples were taken through a vigorous contact tracing exercise.
He said the results of the two positive cases were communicated to him on Saturday and the patients are currently undergoing treatment.
Speaking to Citi News, the DCE added that more samples will be taken from the patients’ contacts in the coming days.
“In Prampram, two have been confirmed positive. And I think it is worthy of mentioning to the media and also advise our people to continue to observe the protocols. For the two weeks that the contact tracing has gone on, more than 50 people have been tested in Ningo Prampram. We move to the various places and we take their samples, send to Noguchi for testing and two out of the 50 that have been tested so far have come out positive.”
“For now, they’ve been taken to some of the isolation centres. They are not in Prampram. We are not resting. Everyone who has come in contact with them are being traced so their samples will be taken for tests,” he assured.
In a related development, 18 persons have been arrested by the Ningo Prampram Divisional Police Command for protesting against the proposed usage of the Ghanaman Soccer Academy as an isolation centre.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) had handed over the Ghanaman Soccer Academy in Prampram to the government to host people confirmed with COVID-19 while they receive treatment.
On the back of this, some aggrieved youth gathered at the sports centre to protest against this move, after which some of them were arrested by the Ningo Prampram Police Command.
“There were some agitations by a section of the youth at the Ghanaman Soccer Academy protesting against the usage of the place as an isolation centre. The Regional Police Commander said the team from the Command came in and some arrests were effected. According to him, first of all, the gathering was unlawful because they did not meet the five-day notification to the police for a public demonstration or gathering to be held. Secondly, they had flouted the President’s directive of people not being more than 25 at a gathering and on the basis of that, those arrests were made. 18 of the people have been arrested,” said Jonathan Teye Doku.
Ghana’s cases
Ghana’s COVID-19 case count has risen to 566.
This comes after the Ghana Health Service confirmed 158 new cases on April 11.
An update by the Ghana Health Service showed that new cases were also reported in the Western and Volta regions, which now become the ninth and tenth regions respectively to confirm cases of COVID-19.
Health authorities attribute the increasing number of cases to the ongoing enhanced surveillance exercise.