General News of Thursday, 2 April 2020

Source: gbcghanaonline.com

Ghana Medical Association calls for calm as coronavirus cases in Ghana increase

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Deputy General Secretary and member of the Infectious Disease Committee of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr Titus Beyuo says there is no cause for alarm in the rising numbers of coronavirus cases in the country.

The surge he said is as a result of enhanced surveillance and increased testing which is expected to capture all those infected by the virus but were not initially picked up.

In an interview with Host Ibrahim Kwarteng on news and current affairs programme ‘Behind the News’ on Uniiq FM, Dr Beyuo urged the public to adhere to protocols in place to curtail the spread of the virus.

Dr Beyuo said clinical trial of a new drug to improve recovery rate has started. He indicated that data from worst-affected countries show that hydroxychloroquine has helped to quicken the recovery process of patients.

He said prevailing conditions at the country’s prisons are a recipe for chaos for the rapid spread of the virus should an inmate be infected.

Dr Titus Beyuo said the newly recorded case in the Eastern Region is that of an expatriate, identified through surveillance.

He, however, gave the assurance that if contact tracing is effective, it can minimise spread of the virus.