162 more infected, as Tema fish factory’s COVID-19 cases jump to 695

The number of infected persons at the Tema fish-processing factory has increased to 695, from the previous 533.

This means an additional 162 staff have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Director of Disease Surveillance of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, announced the figures when he updated the public on happenings at the factory on Tuesday.

He said enhanced contact tracing had begun to identify hidden cases at the factory.

“The Tema situation is about a factory, involving an employee at a fish processing factory who showed respiratory symptoms. Samples were taken and the person was asked to go home. When the results came out positive, contacts were traced.

“Everyone in the factory, a population of over 1300 was subsequently tested. It was previously 533, but finally, it was 695 that tested positive. The rest were negative,” he indicated.

Dr Asiedu-Bekoe also mentioned that the 624 persons out of the 695 cases of COVID-19 were on their way to recovery.

President Akufo-Addo, in his ninth address to the nation, said one worker at the fish factory in the coastal city of Tema had infected over 500 other employees with the deadly COVID-19.

Following the announcement, the company was temporarily closed down, but resumed partial operations again, on May 13, insisting that it had put in place adequate precautionary measures.

Fish factory in Tema partially reopens after swell of COVID-19 cases

The Tema incident is the second case of the spread of COVID-19 at an industrial enclave. In April, the AFCONS railway camp in the Eastern Region reported its wave of community spread from an Indian expatriate who returned from a trip abroad.

Ghana’s COVID-19 cases, as of May 19 stands at 5,918, with 1, 754 recovered patients and 31 deaths.

Greater Accra remains the region with the highest cases with a record of 4,422, followed by Ashanti and Central region with 881 and 212 respectively.

Coronavirus hits 5,918: As recoveries soar, infections jump again with 183 more cases