Ghana’s fast coronavirus recovery rate due to high asymptomatic cases – Virologist

A virologist at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Dr Kofi Bonney, says Ghana is recording high recoveries of the novel coronavirus because most of the people who contracted the disease were asymptomatic.

Of the 5,735 cases recorded in the country as at last Saturday, recoveries stood at 1,754 with 29 deaths.

Health authorities say a 1,000 more people are expected to recover in the coming days.

The high recovery rate has got a section of the Ghanaian public raising doubts over the credibility of the numbers.

A special aide to former President John Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, questioned the recovery rate as released by officials and wondered how it came about.



“How the hell did 790 more people recover overnight!!…We need to put these numbers to strict proof!” she tweeted.

But Mr Bonney commenting on the issue on 3FM Sunrise morning show said “You could see that most of the cases that we had in the country, we had more mild cases and a lot of asymptomatic.

“Even if you are asymptomatic so long as there is presence of the virus or in the individual the test is going to pick it as positive. So we do a lot of contact tracing and people who are walking around showing no signs or symptoms of the disease are picked up as positive.

“Some of them even question you whether you are sure they are positive,” he told host of the show, Alfred Ocansey.

He said it is not “surprising to have a number of [high] recoveries especially if you are having mild cases as most of the cases that we are recording. So I am not actually taken aback when I see the figures.”

Source: 3 News