More than 2,000 health workers in Ghana test positive for COVID-19

More than 2,000 health workers in Ghana have tested positive for COVID-19 since the West African country’s first case was reported in March, according to Ghana’s Health Service (GHS).

Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the director-general of the Health Service, was unable to say with certainty how the health workers got infected. He, however, acknowledged that Ghana initially encountered challenges in acquiring personal protective equipment which made it difficult for workers to properly protect themselves from infection.

“Over 90 percent of the infected has recovered and we now have a sufficient supply of PPE,” Kuma-Aboagye said when he spoke to CNN.

Kuma-Aboagye further said that that proper infection prevention and control measures were being regularly observed at all hospitals.

According to the GHS, six out of the 2,065 workers who have been infected have died while 1,870 others had recovered. The remaining number of health workers is under treatment in various isolation centres.

The Greater Accra region accounts for the highest number of infected health workers.

The presidency also sought to reassure the public that the figures were not due to a spike in infections in a short time.

“The number of those infected is a cumulative figure and not a number that was a result over a short period of time,” Ghana’s Presidential Advisor on Health Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare told CNN.

The Ghanaian government announced a raft of incentives for health workers who are risking their lives to fight the pandemic. These benefits include: tax breaks, an additional 50% allowance added to their basic salary for the next three months and other perks.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said this was due to the “immense dedication and hard work being exhibited by our health care workers.”

Ghana has so far reported 27,060 confirmed cases, 145 fatalities and 23,044 recoveries.