Burkina Faso records first coronavirus case

Ghana’s northern neighbour, Burkina Faso, has recorded its first case of coronavirus, the country’s, Minister of Health, Claudine Lougé, said on Monday.

Reuters reported that the patients are a couple who had recently returned to the country from a trip to France and were now in isolation.

The Burkinabe health minister said the two were under quarantine in a local hospital in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou.

He said a third person who was in close contact with the couple was under observation.

Ghana’s eastern border neighbours, Togo have also recorded a case.

Burkina Faso becomes the six sub-Saharan African country hit by the virus, after Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Togo and South Africa. But overall, the virus has affected 10 African countries.

Egypt on Sunday became the first African country to lose a patient to the dreaded disease which has the same symptoms like flu.

At least 109,578 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, have been reported worldwide as of Monday, an increase of 3,994 infections from the previous day, according to a coronavirus update released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

All 3,994 new infections were outside China, according to the WHO.

Besides Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Albania and Paraguay reported cases of COVID-19 for the first time as of Monday, bringing the total number of countries and regions affected by the coronavirus to around 105.

In Ghana, at least 46 cases tested as of Saturday, March 8, all came out negative.