New COVID-19 variant travels 50 - 70 times faster - GHS

The new strain of the COVID-19 pandemic discovered in Ghana has a higher infection rate compared to the first strain, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed.

According to the Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Dacosta Aboagye, the new strain of the virus is transmitted between fifty to seventy (50-70) times faster.

“Both variants spread very fast and I am thinking they have the same symptoms as the first version of the virus. But, the only difference is that the transmission is very fast. The new variants travel between 50-70 times faster than the normal ones we know of” he said as quoted by Ghanaweb.

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He revealed that the country has recorded cases of two different strains of the virus. One from the United Kingdom and another from South Africa.
“We all know that with the reopening of our borders, we required anyone coming into the country to come along with a PCR test from their country of origin, and upon their arrival to Ghana, they undergo the antigen test and asked to self isolate.

"However, we recently changed our policy a bit and insisted that anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 will be housed in our facilities for a second test”.

Dr. Dacosta noted that for the second test, the positive cases were put through genetic sequencing and that was when “we noticed they were infected with the new variants from the UK and South Africa”.

The Director of Health Promotion at the GHS assured the populace the positive cases of the new variants are receiving treatment in isolation and treatment centers under the Ghana Health Service.