Wa records its first case of COVID-19

Addressing the media, the regional minister said the patient is a 42-year-old Ghanaian who visited the UK, Spain and returned to Ghana through Egypt.

He indicated that the patient came to Wa from Accra via public transport before he started showing symptoms.

“…[He] returned to Ghana eight days ago through Egypt and travelled from Accra to Wa through public transport and has been confirmed COVID-19 positive. This is the first case of a suspect [in the Upper West Region] whose samples were taken for test and the result is that the patient is a COVID-19 patient,” the Minister said.

He said that the region received the result on Friday (March 27, 2020) noon.

The minister called on the residents of Wa to be calm and stated that the patient quarantined himself before confirmation of his status.

“The good thing is that, even before the test result came out positive, the suspect was in self-quarantine. He has isolated himself because he had returned from countries where the disease is prevalent…. This should not bring fear into us. It does not mean he is going to die.”

“I entreat all and sundry that the precautionary measures that have been prescribed to all of us must be adhered to. We need to continue to wash our hands regularly and where necessary, we should apply hand sanitizers,” he added.

The Regional Minister pleaded with the indigenes of the region to support health authorities with needed materials and money to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

New case or not?

It is not clear yet if this patient was part of the four additional cases announced by the Ghana Health Service earlier today, Friday, March 27, 2020.

The Ghana Health Service website which updates Ghanaians on COVID-19 projects the current coronavirus cases in Ghana at 136, as of 09:15hr on March 27.

The GHS reported that four new cases were recorded today.

Authorities say contact tracing had been initiated for the new cases. The new patients have since been isolated and are receiving treatment.