Hot!
Ghana’s COVID-19 cases rise to 6,269 —GHS
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed 173 more cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) to put the total number of cases at 6,269.
The number of recoveries has also shot up by 144 from the last update of 1,754.
This means Ghana now has 1,898 recoveries but its death toll has remained at 31 over the last four days.
According to the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the new infections had come from five out of the 16 regions in the country with the Greater Accra Region still leading the chart with 46 more cases.
The Western Region has recorded 59 more cases putting its total case count at 170, Ashanti, 35 more cases, Central 27 and Eastern Region recording six new cases.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye disclosed that so far 31 patients have been managed under intensive care unit (ICU), with two, put on ventilators.
“Six mortalities have been recorded, 16 have been discharged home and currently we have eight in ICU; four at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, two at the Ga East Hospital, one at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and one at the Ho Government Hospital.”
The Director-General indicated that so far over 187,000 tests have been conducted, of which 1,920 tested positive during general surveillance and 4,349 from enhanced contact tracing.
The Greater Accra Region, he said, accounted for 20 out of the 31 deaths recorded in the country, of which 17 are males and three, females.
“Twenty-eight of the persons who died have co-morbidity issues and three have no underlying issue so we can confirm they died of COVID-19,” he said.
On decentralising treatment for the disease, Dr Kuma-Aboagye made it known that a total of 71 treatment and isolation centres have been identified across the country with nine testing sites on hand to ramp up testing of COVID-19.
“All 16 regions have so far been able to identify and set up at least one regional level and two other treatment centres and isolation facilities and with the number of cases reducing by the day, we do not expect to be overwhelmed with the cases,” he stated.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye who used the opportunity to clarify payment of contact tracers, noted that the GHS had strengthened its systems to respond and contain further spread of the virus as it targeted hotspots for better management of cases.
“All contact tracers have been paid and currently because the number of cases are reducing, we are relying more on our staff instead of the volunteers to do the contact tracing.
“With the 50 per cent allowance for frontline staff, the Ministry of Health is working on it and they will be paid.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
