JOHANNESBURG - Ghana has recorded its second death from Covid-19 and a total of 521 suspected cases have been tested by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), the Ghana health service (GHS) says.
"Out of the suspected 27 cases including two deaths have been confirmed. All the 25 confirmed cases are receiving treatment in isolation," said the GHS in a statement.
"Among the confirmed cases 20 are of Ghanaian nationality, majority of whom returned home from affected countries. Seven are [from] Norway, Lebanon, China, France, UK."
"In respect of contact tracing, a total of 598 contacts have been identified and are being tracked. One of the contacts developed symptoms and has been confirmed positive," the GHS said in a statement.
The department added that 19 people had completed the 14 days of mandatory follow up.
African News Agency (ANA) previously reported that the country's President Nana Akufo-Addo declared Wednesday a national day of fasting and prayer as the West African country grapples with Covid-19.
In an address broadcast on television, Akufo-Addo appealed to Christians and Muslims to pray for God's protection.
"Let us pray to God to protect our nation and save us from this pandemic," GhanaWeb quoted him as saying.
He also urged Ghanaians to comply with measures put in place to stem the spread of the disease and applauded those at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic now affecting more than 292,000 people around the world.