Two foreign nationals on Wednesday reported at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital having developed some symptoms suspected to be coronavirus.
Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie has confirmed that they have recorded its first two suspected cases of the dreaded corona virus.
Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia programme, he explained that one is a Chinese National and the other an Argentine national.
They are both friends who are on a tour.
He added that they have been quarantined currently at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital where their blood samples have been taken to Noguchi for confirmation.
In this regard, we have taken steps to address the situation and have Ghanaians protected and not have the virus from spreading.
The patients, a Chinese and an Argentine who have been living together in the country for some days, have been isolated at the facility while blood samples taken have been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), for further analysis.
“They’ve all developed some symptoms that fit the case definition [but] it doesn’t mean they have the disease,” he clarified.
He said another round of testing is expected to be conducted on the two nationals Thursday.
He explained that the patients initially visited an unnamed private facility in the capital and reported the condition and were directed by the medical staff there to report to Korle Bu.
So far, the new coronavirus, dubbed 2019-nCoV, has led to more than 20,000 illnesses and more than 560 deaths in China, as well as more than 200 illnesses and two deaths outside of mainland China.
The most common symptoms are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Some patients also reported sore throat and runny nose while others experienced diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
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Peacefmonline
