Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Aboagye
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has disclosed that some 1,870 health workers in the country have recovered from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The number is out of 2,065 health workers who have contracted the virus across the country, with Greater Accra Region recording the highest number of cases.
He added that, currently, about 183 of the health workers are still under treatment, with six persons having died from the virus.
Speaking at a press briefing yesterday in Accra to update the public on Ghana’s COVID-19 case count and management, Dr Kuma-Aboagye attributed the success to the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as well as training for the workers.
“The significant number of cases have recovered, telling you that, of late, the number of health worker infections has significantly reduced. That is why we have 183 active cases. In majority of the regions, a lot of the health workers have recovered, which means that they have also not recorded any new health worker infection in that last few weeks,” he said.
“They’ve been training; the PPE availability has significantly improved, and so this is why so many of them have recovered and are not recording many new cases,” the GHS Director-General said.
Breakdown
According to Dr Kuma-Aboagye, about 24 health workers were infected in Ahafo, with five of them recovered and back to work, while the remaining 19 are under treatment.
“The Ashanti Region has 245 health workers infected; they recorded 228 recoveries, two deaths and currently 15 active cases. Bono had 53 cases, and they have all recovered; and Bono East had 88 cases and they have all recovered and gone back to work,” he announced.
He further revealed that the Central Region recorded 295 cases, out of which 264 have recovered, with 31 of them still under treatment. The Eastern Region recorded 343 cases, with 307 recovering, with 36 active cases.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye also disclosed that Greater Accra has the highest infection rate, with 588 health workers infected; 536 recovered; three deaths; and 49 active cases. North East Region currently has two active cases while in Oti Region has 47 cases were recorded, out of which 40 have recovered while seven are under treatment.
“Savannah has had two cases and they have all recovered; Upper East had 11 and they have all recovered; Upper East had 15 and they have all recovered; Volta had 63 with 57 recoveries and 6 active cases. Western Region has had 150 cases of health worker infections; 148 recovered while one died and one active case. Western North had 41 cases and they have all recovered,” he said.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye commended the health workers for their bravery despite the infections.
Case count
Currently, Ghana’s COVID-19 case count has risen to 26,125. The number of recoveries is now 22,270, while the death toll remains 139.
He stated that 695 new cases were recorded over a period of three weeks. The Greater Accra Region continues to lead with over 14,000 of the total cases confirmed in the country, followed by the Ashanti and Western regions.
The cumulative figure for positive cases from routine surveillance is 10,465. According to him, 15,660 of the positive cases were also identified through enhanced contact tracing.
Ghana has so far conducted a total of 339,491 tests.
