41 nurses, midwives test positive for Covid-19 in Ghana; 288 others quarantined

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Nine more nurses and midwives have tested positive for Covid-19, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives’ Association (GRNMA) has confirmed.

The figure takes the number from 32 to 41 with one death, the GRNMA said, adding that 288 others have also been quarantined countrywide.

According to the GRNMA, the numbers do not include members at the Covid-19 treatment centers, adding that a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infections from patients for the outbreak contribute to the staggering figure.

“What is more interesting is that those that have been infected are not at the Covid-19 treatment centers, they are those at the periphery,” explained the General Secretary of the Association, Dr David Tenkorang Twum.

Lack of PPE

Like many countries, Ghana is grappling with a severe shortage of PPE for its workers, especially at peripheral health facilities.

The country’s Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu for instance had said at a press briefing in Accra that the government has selected some companies to locally produce some personal protective kits as announced by President Akufo-Addo.

The companies are to produce a total of 3.6 million masks which will be distributed across the country.

But Dr Twum wants government to prioritize safety of health workers, especially in community health facilities at high risk areas.

“We believe that government has a responsibility of providing the necessary logistics in terms of PPE and not focusing at the isolation centers but decentralizing the items to even periphery… But we are talking to our members to practice the universal precautions of infection prevention,” Dr Tenkorang who was speaking on Accra-based Joy FM stressed.

30 health workers test positive for Covid-19 in Ashanti Region

Already 30 health workers in Ghana’s Ashanti Region have already tested positive for the virus.

Director of Health Services in the Ashanti Region, Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang who made this disclosure at a press briefing Wednesday, however, disclosed that the medics are responding to treatment.

This figure is part of the region’s total case count which currently stands at 886 with seven deaths as of May 20, 2020.

The Health Director also said that 25 out of 43 Districts and Municipal Assemblies have reported cases of the virus.

Obuasi still leads with 587 cases in the region; but Dr Emmanuel Tenkorang told reporters that the situation is under control.

“We have a total of 30 health workers having Covid-19 in the region and all of them are doing very well,” said Dr Tenkorang said adding: “We have new infections however the good news is that the new infections are going down especially in Obuasi.”

Ghana’s Covid-19 case count

At least 125 more persons have recovered from COVID-19 in Ghana making it a total of 1,898 as at Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

The death toll is still 31.

According to the Ghana Health Service, 173 new cases have been confirmed, increasing the tally to 6,269 in the West African country.

There had been an increase in the number of cases in four regions -Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western and Central Regions.

The Greater Accra Region still has the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by the Ashanti, Central, and Western Regions.

Eight persons are still in critical condition with the number of tests administered in the region of 187,000.

Regional breakdown:

Greater Accra Region – 4,582

Ashanti Region – 921

Central Region – 285

Western Region – 170

Eastern Region – 106

Western North Region – 57

Volta Region – 41

Northern Region – 31

Oti Region – 26

Upper East Region – 26

Upper West Region – 21

North East Region – 2

Bono Region – 1

Savannah Region – 0

Ahafo Region – 0

Bono East Region – 0

By Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH