High-level sources in Ghana’s public health service have shared information on the national COVID-19 profile with Asaaseradio.com which offers good evidence that the direction of travel for recoveries from the disease gives Ghana cause for hope.
The latest data on increases of new infections shows that the Ghana Health Service confirmed 153 more people had contracted the new coronavirus disease in the previous 24 hours. Yet 220 people were confirmed as recovered over the same period.
In effect, the number of new cases dipped marginally from 156 the previous day to 153. But the number of recoveries increased, going from 125 to 220.
Cured cases have the edge
The national regime of intensive testing has led to early detection of new infections, taking the numbers of confirmed cases up from 6,964 to 7,117.
However, a rough comparison of this month’s numbers of infections against those of recoveries shows improvements surpassing the new cases of disease.
Between 9 and 12 May the number of new infections went up 281 and the number of recoveries by 20. The following day, however, recoveries had increased by 160 and new infections by 122.
There was a leap in recoveries on 14 May that increased the number by 786; new infections were just 108.
The trend was sustained the following day: 294 recoveries against 97 new infections.
An infection spike by 20 May took new infections up by 751 – against an increase in recoveries of just 197. But by Friday (22 May) the tallies were again more evenly matched, with 197 infections to 47 recoveries. And recoveries have continued to rally: up by 72 in the next set of data and now 220 in the latest report.
The policy of aggressive tracing, testing and treating is producing results.
An epidemiologist involved in monitoring the situation told Asaaseradio.com: “We are not out of the woods yet, but I can say we are starting to see light on the horizon.”
Western Region is calming
The latest report from the Ghana Health Service shows that 101 of the new cases of COVID-19 infection have emerged in Greater Accra.
Again, the top hot spot is Korle Klottey (23 new cases, down from 28). It is followed by Ledokuku (14), Tema West (12), Tema Metro (ten), La-Nkwantanang-Madina (nine), Okaikoi North (seven) and Ayawaso East (five).
Smaller numbers have emerged in:
Ga East – 4
Ga Central – 4
Ayawaso West – 3
La-Dadekotopong – 3
Ayawaso Central – 3
Ga West – 3
Kpone Katamanso – 1
The flare-up in the Western Region is easing, down from 57 to just ten. However, there have been increases in Ashanti, where the number of new infections went up from four additional cases in the previous report to 19 more.
Five of the new cases were detected in Atwima Kwamwoma, four in the Kumasi metropolis and three in Asokore Mampong, with the remainder scattered between Adansi South, Asokwa, Old Tafo and Sekyere East.
In the Central Region, new infections are up by 18, 14 those in the Cape Coast metropolitan area and the remaining four in Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem.
The only other regions that registered increases in the 24 hours since the previous report were Eastern (three new cases), Volta (two) and Upper West (one).
* If you experience severe symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease (for example, extreme shortness of breath), you can call any of these numbers toll-free: 113, 050 949 7700, 055 843 9868.
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