Ghana records 698 deaths linked to Covid-19

The number of Covid-19-related deaths in Ghana rose to 698 after seven more deaths were confirmed by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

The latest update from the country’s health management body also confirmed that another 48 people were in serious condition and another 18 in critical condition.

He added that 243 new cases of additional infections had been recorded, of which 28 were active, bringing the number of active cases in the country to 3,701 from 3,673 as of Monday, March 15.

These cases, according to the GHS, were being managed at treatment sites and isolation centers across the country, while some were being managed at home.

The new infections were from tests carried out as of March 12, 2021. So far, a total of 83,829 people have recovered and been discharged.

The country has recorded a total of 88,228 cases of the virus since it confirmed its first two cases in March 2020.

Of the total confirmed cases, 30,813 were from General Surveillance; 56,142 cases of enhanced contact tracing, while 1,273 have been recorded among international travelers disembarking at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) since it reopened on September 1, 2020.

In addition, 953,041 tests had been performed, including 290,368 from routine surveillance, 475,943 from contact tracing and 186,730 from international travelers arriving via KIA. The positivity rate is 9.3%.

Currently, all 16 regions have one active case, the Greater Accra region remains the hotspot, accounting for over 50 percent (1,679) of active cases, with a cumulative number of cases of 49,091.

The Ashanti region has 380 active cases while its number of cases now stands at 15,101, followed by the Western region with 187 active cases and a total of 5,524 cases.

Others are: Eastern Region, 149 active cases, with a cumulative number of 4,014 cases; Central region 295 active cases with a total of 3,157 cases; Volta region, 271 active cases, with a total of 2,199 cases; Bono East Region 71 active cases and 1297 cumulative cases, and North Region 115 active cases and cumulative of 1520 and Upper East Region 66 active cases and 1277 total cases

The others are 39 active cases in the Northwest region, 834 cumulative cases, 103 active cases in the Bono region, 1135 cumulative cases, Ahafo region, nine active cases and 679 cumulative cases, Oti region 41 active and 370 cumulative, Upper West 93 active cases and 456 cumulative cases, Savannah region, 15 active and 112 cumulative, and Northeast 64 active and 189 cumulative.

There are also 124 active cases of international travelers at KIA. Ghana on March 2 began a mass vaccination exercise in some areas this year after receiving delivery of some 600,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on February 24.

The government has said it hopes to vaccinate around 20 million people to stem further spread of the virus.