COVID-19 Cases Increase At KIA
According to available data from antigen testing performed at the airport on all arriving passengers, there has been an increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases documented at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), according to the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
Dr. Kumah-Aboagye, speaking to the press at the Information Ministry yesterday, November 28th, 2021, stated that as of November 28th, 2021, a total of 629,831 antigen tests had been performed on arriving passengers, with 3,093 of them testing positive for COVID-19. According to the GHS Director-General, this statistic implies a 0.48 percent test positivity rate.
According to sources, the Pantang Hospital’s Isolation and Treatment Centre had 33 patients on Friday, November 26th, 2021. The hospital received six (6), new patients, from KIA on Saturday, November 27th, raising the total number of patients to 39.
On Friday, November 26th, the M Plaza Hotel received four (4) new clients who had tested positive at KIA, bringing the total number of people in isolation to 58. However, on November 27th, nine (9) people were released and two (2) more KIA incoming passengers were accepted, bringing the total to 51.
Another institution, the La Palm Hotel, which had 96 individuals in isolation or receiving treatment as of Friday, November 26th, discharged one person, bringing the total to 95. One new patient was admitted to the facility on November 27th, while another was discharged. As a result of this latest development, the number of COVID-19 patients being held in isolation at the La Palm Hotel has remained at 95.
The GHS director remarked in a press statement that the increase in cases at KIA is primarily among Ghanaians who attended an international religious convention. He also stated that the number of instances registered in November 2021 is higher than the number of cases recorded in the same period in 2020.
According to Dr. Kumah-COVID-19 Aboagye’s cases by month graph at KIA, 168 cases were reported in November 2020, whereas 205 cases were recorded in November 2021.
Plan to stop the surge
According to the GHS, an increase in COVID-19 cases among international arrivals is expected, owing to an expected increase in the number of arrivals, increased global travel with the risk of disease transmission, a similar experience during the 2020 Christmas season, and the emergence of new strains.
To avoid a new wave of COVID-19 cases, the GHS says it will continue to implement current international travel protocols, ensure strict enforcement of the protocols at the Kotoka International Airport and all other entry points, and increase surveillance and monitoring of new strains and people returning from countries of concern.
The GHS also stated that it will work with the country’s major religious organizations, who are expected to host big gatherings during the Christmas season, to ensure that all COVID-19 protocols are followed in their facilities and during their meetings.
According to the GHS, current COVID-19 protocols for such large gatherings will be monitored and enforced in coordination with security services.
Source: Opemsuo.com/ Emmanuel Owusu Anti
