North East Region records first COVID-19 case

A laboratory worker places a test tube containing a patient’s sample into a box during coronavirus detection tests in the virology research labs at UZ Leuven university hospital in Leuven, Belgium, on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. China has kick-started a clinical trial to speedily test a drug for the novel coronavirus infection as the nation rushes therapies for those afflicted and scours for vaccines to protect the rest. Photographer: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Source: Citi News 

North East Region has become the latest region to confirm a case of COVID-19 in Ghana.

It is the eighth region out of Ghana’s 16 regions to report a case.

The case was detected in Walewale as a result of the ongoing enhanced surveillance and contact-tracing exercise.

The infected person has however died.

The Municipal Chief Executive of West Mamprusi Municipality, Arimeyaw Somo Lucky told Citi News that the patient, who had asthma died while his sample was being tested at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR).

“We had a suspected case that was sent to Kumasi five days ago. The person was already an asthmatic patient for the past five years, when he reported to the hospital, they saw some of the symptoms of COVID-19 and then he was isolated. Unfortunately, he passed on two hours later after his admission. The test was sent to Kumasi, it delayed but the result came back last night. I was briefed this morning by the Regional Health Director that the result was positive,” he said.

He said the family of the deceased have been quarantined as efforts are being done to quarantine the other contacts who will be traced.

“We invited the family and we have now started the contact tracing and possible quarantine of all those who are involved. That is what we are doing now,” he added.

Medical officers quarantined

All the medical officers who attended to the patient before his demise are currently self-quarantining.

The emergency unit of the Walewale hospital has also been closed down and will be disinfected later.

No travel history

“To travel outside the region, no he doesn’t have that history,” Arimeyaw Somo Lucky said.

The deceased prior to his death only travelled to the Yabaga Kubori area.

Meanwhile, he has urged for calm among residents of the region indicating that “everything is under control.”

Other regions with COVID-19 cases

Other regions that have confirmed COVID-19 cases are the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Northern, Central, Upper East and Upper West region regions.

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