COVID-19: WHO investigating one person who infected 500 people in a Ghanaian factory

WHO Emergency Operations Programme Manager, Dr Michel Yao said even though they do not have a detailed investigative piece yet, “our team there is working closely with the national authority to gather more information.”

“The country office is closely working with the surveillance team to investigate any COVID case as well as to provide support in areas like treatment and laboratory testing. Soon we will have further information on that,” he added.

When he was asked when they will conclude the investigation, Dr Yao said: “The case is under investigation and some information will be made available as soon as possible.”

His comment is coming after President Nana Akufo-Addo said that a worker at a fish processing factory at Tema in the Greater Accra region infected 533 of his colleagues with coronavirus.

In his ninth address to Ghanaians on measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, Nana Akufo Addo said “All 533 persons were infected by one person,” referring to the infection at the fish factory.

The infection led to Ghana’s positive case count increasing to 4,700 as of May 10, 2020.

As of May 14, 2020, Ghana has recorded 5,530 cases with 674 recoveries and 24 deaths.

Dr Yao said Ghana in the last four days “has been a decrease but we need to be careful of the confinement and also the number of people that could still be exposed. A resurgent is possible. So, while not to think with a decrease in the wide testing, we need to look at early decrease with a lot of caution.”