General News of Monday, 30 March 2020

Source: Abraham Ananpansah, Contributor

Suspected coronavirus patient in Busunu tests negative

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Test for Coronavirus involving a native of Busunu,in the West Gonja Municipal of the Savannah Region,who recently returned from Kumasi has turned out to be negative,PAD FM sources can confirm.

The 18-year old woman recently returned from Kayayei business in Kumasi to Busunu,in the Savannah Region and had been put on isolation as a precaution after she exhibited "cough-like symptoms.

Her throat and nose swabs sample was taken to the Akomfo Anokye Teaching hospital in Kumasi for the necessary examination and the results turned out to be negative.

Speculations were rife that Busunu had recorded a case of the deadly COVID-19, with the suspect being a head porter who recently returned from Kumasi.

The necessary contacts were made by health personnel at the West Gonja Catholic Hospital and the suspect voluntarily offered to be quarantined at the facility for the necessary action.

The hospital has mounted a screening post at the entrance of the facility to test passengers on board public transport entering Damongo.

Hot on the heels of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo announced a partial lockdown(shelter-in-place order) of Accra and Kumasi, the epicenters of the Coronavirus in Ghana effective today Monday, March 30,2020.

The declaration brought about a sudden spike in the number head porters (Kayayei) travelling from Accra and Kumasi to Northern Ghana following the lockdown declaration shouldn't be lost on you.

Ghana's case count as at March 30, 2020, stands at 152 with five deaths and two reported recovery cases.

Globally, we've a total of 723,540 case counts with 33,998 deaths and 151,824 recovery cases.

Aside Accra and Kumasi the cynosure of the virus, the Upper West Region recently confirmed its first case of COVID-19, involving a 42-year old Ghanaian who visited UK and Spain and returned to Ghana through Egypt.

On 29th March,2020, Tamale in the Northern Region, recorded 10 cases involving Guinean residents who travelled through Burkina Faso and Togo to Ghana and were picked up and mandatorily quarantined in Tamale under the direction of the Regional Security Council.

It is recommended that we wash our hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, especially after visiting the John, coughing, s It's sneezing or blowing one's nose. The virus is killed by soap outside the human body as soap burst its protective bubble.

Also, the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol by volume where soap and running water are not available in a ready manner.

Worthy of acceptance is the suggestion by the WHO that we should avoid touching our eyes, mouth or nose with unwashed hands. Science would say it's impossible to stay a minute without touching your face, but we ought to give it a hard try.

As much as possible, stay at home and be safe.