55 students, staff test positive for COVID-19 at Accra Girls SHS

55 people including students at the Accra Girls’ Senior High School have tested positive for COVID-19.

This was disclosed by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) after it commenced a testing exercise at the school.

According to a joint statement by the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service (GES), 55 people tested positive out of 314 total tests done.

“As at 13th July, 2020, a total of 314 persons (student and staff) from the School have been tested. Out of these, 55 have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 while 259 persons tested negative,” the statement said.

The statement further indicated that all those who have tested positive have been sent to treatment centres.

The school confirmed six positive cases amongst students last week and it was later discovered that a teacher and his spouse had also tested positive for the disease.

This sparked protest among the student populace who insisted on going home.

At the same time, many parents thronged the premises of the school demanding that their children be allowed to go home due to the risk of remaining at the school.

But school authorities and authorities in government insisted that the school is better placed to manage the students and the risk associated with COVID-19 than being released to go home.

Other schools affected

Meanwhile other schools across the country have also confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 but GHS and GES say those cases “have not experienced a surge,” as seen in Accra Girls’ SHS.

It has since announced a number of measures it has put in place in Accra Girls as well as the other schools to curtail any further spread of COVID-19.

The measures include;

• Identification and segregation of contact from other students
• Sample collection and laboratory testing of all contacts identified and suspected cases
• All confirmed cases have been transferred to designated national treatment and isolation centres for management
• Restriction of number of students that attend dining at a particular time
• Enforcement of social distancing protocols, enhanced hand hygiene practices and the proper use of the facemask
• Disinfection of the entire school has been carried out
• Adequate PPEs have been provided to health staff stationed in the school
• Education on COVID-19 prevention and control has been intensified within the school
• Counselling and psychological support is being provided to the students
• The school has designated a quarantine and isolation centre
• Parents and guardians of affected student have been duly contacted