COVID-19: All the interesting news about coronavirus you missed on May 5, 2020
Ghana’s Information Ministry held a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, to update the nation on the progress made in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Ghana Health Service's (GHS) latest data indicates that we have recorded 2,719 cases. Also, 18 deaths and 294 recoveries have been recorded.
Cases have been confirmed in 14 out of the country's 16 regions with the Greater Accra region having over 80 percent of the national burden.
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At the presser, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah noted that there are three layers for protection against COVID-19: closure of borders, restrictions of movement, and personal protection etiquette.
“The government has done the first two, but the last one is what individuals must take responsibility for,” he said.
Below is a wrap of some of the major updates on COVID-19 on May 5, 2020:
1. COVID-19: Government to support Ghanaian industries with GHC3 billion
The government has sealed a GHC3 billion deal with the Bank of Ghana and commercial banks in Ghana to support specific local industries.
According to President Akufo-Addo, the amount will be available for industries that have been severely affected by the COVID-19.
He mentioned this during a meeting with stakeholders in the hospitality industry and explained that the fund would come in the form of loans.
2. Ghana’s largest COVID-19 testing hub can now confirm suspected cases in 24 hours
The Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, Ghana’s largest COVID-19 testing center, can now test and report samples of suspected cases within 24 hours.
This comes after the research center hinted that it has completed testing the backlog of about 18,000 suspected virus samples.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye who made this disclosure said: “As at now, we have recorded 2,719 cases across the country. This covers all the cases that were diagnosed since the first case was diagnosed on the 12th of March."
3. KCCR backlogs to be cleared by Thursday, May 7
The Director of Virology at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Prof. William Ampofo, said the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research has about 1,982 samples it is yet to test.
He, however, added that they are hopeful that all that backlog will be cleared by Thursday.
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4. Ghana losing battle against COVID-19 - UK-based Pharmacist warns
A UK-based Ghanaian pharmacist, Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, has expressed worry about the rapid increase in the number of Ghana's COVID-19 positive cases, stressing that Ghana is losing the battle against COVID-19.
5. 11 things you must do if you come in contact with a coronavirus patient
As the world continues to battle with the novel coronavirus, it is necessary for Ghanaians to get right and adequate information on steps to take if they get exposed to someone with a laboratory-confirmed case.
With this, they can monitor their health and avoid spreading the disease to others if they get sick For you to know you have been exposed to the disease, you must have come in close contact with a sick person to get infected.
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Ghanaian-born British Chemical Engineer, Thaddeus Nii Acquah Afutu Anim-Somuah, has been named in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe's list for Manufacturing and Engineering.
Every year, Forbes releases a list of top 30 under 30 young Europeans who are reinventing business and society from turning used coffee beans into sneakers to designing solar-powered cars as well as acknowledging ingenuity and creativity.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
