The Ghana Health Service (GHS) must scale-up testing for Covid-19 in the country, Fred Binka, a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, has said. He has asked the GHS to stop indicating that the deadly Indian strain has only been recorded at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and not yet in the communities.
The GHS revealed the deadly Delta variants of Covid-19 recorded in Ghana have not yet entered the community. Ghana has detected six Delta variants of Covid-19 so far, the GHS has confirmed. The variants were confirmed from samples taken from passengers at the Kotoka International Airport between April and June.
A statement by the GHS said “all passengers who test positive at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) are put under mandatory isolation. “All positive samples are sent for further testing (genomic sequencing) to identify the variants. Variants sequenced from samples of positive cases at the Airport do not necessarily end up in the community.
“As of now, the country has detected six Delta variants of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus) from all samples taken between April and June 2021 at the ports of entry. No Delta variant has been detected from samples taken from cases in the community.
“The MOH and GHS further inform the general public that in April 2021, there was a surge in cases at the airport during which period 308 positives were identified.
“However, Ghana has not experienced the third wave partly due to the robust surveillance system in place at the ports of entry and strict isolation of all cases detected.”
Speaking in an interview with Alfred Ocansey on News 360 on TV3, Prof Binka said “We have to test more now and be able to detect where this virus is going and stop saying it is only at the airport.
“If you don’t test the more how many positives will you find?”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana
