Ho Teaching Hospital Staff Tests COVID-19 Positive, As Volta’s Case Count Rises To 41
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
A female staff of the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) has tested positive to the Corona virus pandemic, forcing a temporarily shutdown of the hospital’s main surgical theatre, where she works.
According to a Volta Online source, the nurse took ill at work last Thursday and was attended to at the Out Patients Department, with her sample later taken for testing at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, where it came out positive over the weekend.
She was however said not to be part of some 39 staff who have been quarantined last week following their exposure to a patient who tested positive to the virus and died few days later.
Mr. Amos Jah, the Public Relations officer of the hospital confirmed the news to Volta Online in the following text quotes;
"Yes. A theatre nurse tested positive for COVID-19 through General Surveillance after a bout of flu and slight sore throat. The place [theatre] was temporarily shut down for disinfection. Normal duties will resume from tomorrow [Tuesday]."
He added that, “Three other colleagues she works with are in self-quarantine at the moment [and] she’s responding to treatment.”
Nonetheless, some staff of theatre unit remained jittery about the situation, as they called for the suspension of elective surgeries in order to contain a possible spread of the virus among them and their patients.
Case Count now 41, with 28 Recoveries
Meanwhile, the Volta region’s COVID-19 case count has moved from 34 to 41 as a result of some new confirmed cases.
According to Dr. Kwesi Djokoto, Deputy Regional Director incharge of Public Health, the new cases include that of the Teaching Hospital, three in the Hohoe municipality, one each in Akatsi South district, Ketu South and Kpando municipalities.
Fatalities
The Kpando case, involving a middle aged man has however become the second COVID-19 fatality on the region, after the first one involving a 60-year old woman, was recorded at the Treatment centre in Ho last week.
Recoveries
Nonetheless, some 28 persons have fully recovered from the virus as at May 15, 2020, leaving the current active cases in the region at 11.
Volta Region's COVID-19 Cases Breakdown
Produced by: www.voltaonlinegh.com