Claim: Ghana’s total confirmed cases of coronavirus is 1,064
Source: Unknown
Verdict: Fake
Researched by Rabiu Alhassan
A false message has been doing the rounds on social media apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter that Ghana’s total confirmed cases of coronavirus is now 1,064.
The viral image that comes across like a notecard that has been used by the Ghana Health Service to update Ghanaians on the latest coronavirus case count in the country is Fake.
The message has generated lots of buzz and panic on social media and is featuring in the top 20 trends on Twitter under the #FAKE.
GhanaFact was first alerted to it by a Facebook user who was seeking clarification on the viral message.
Fact-check
The Ghana Health Service dedicated COVID-19 website which remains the most credible platform for official data on the country’s coronavirus spread states that Ghana has 566 confirmed cases as of April 13.
Ghana’s Ministry of Information using it’s verified Facebook page has also called on Ghanaians to disregard the viral message.
Further, the viral image claims the new 1,064 figure is the latest update as of “21:14:07 GMT +0200 (CEST.)”
However, the image was all over even before 9 pm Monday evening.
The Ghana Health Service latest update of its figures was at 10:11 pm on April 13 and the country’s total confirmed coronavirus cases is 566.
Ghana’s case count
According to the Ghana Health Service, a total of 37,954 persons have been tested with 566 being positive for COVID-19.
The breakdown of the 566 positive cases are as follows: four (4) have been treated, discharged and tested negative, 552 cases have been categorized as mild disease on treatment, two (2) moderate to severe cases, none currently on ventilators and eight (8) have died.
Of the 566 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 292 were reported from the routine surveillance, 159 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale.
Ten out of sixteen regions in Ghana have reported cases of coronavirus and they include Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Western, Volta, Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West.
Conclusion
The viral image claiming Ghana’s total confirmed cases of coronavirus is now 1,064 is FAKE.
