Ghana has recorded 1042 positive cases of COVID-19 and 99 recovery cases. More than 60,000 people whose samples were collected through contact tracing and other enhanced testing approaches have tested negative for the virus.
However, rumourmongers have cast doubts over the number of positive cases, saying the samples of some of the people who have tested positive might not be the actual case. The claim is that there might be “false positve” cases.
Addressing the issue, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye debunked the claims that there may be persons mistakenly testing positive for Coronavirus in the country.
Although admitting the possibility of “false” positive cases when conducting a test, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye explained that the Health Service uses the global Polymerise Chain Reaction (PCR) test to check for the presence of the virus in the samples.
The PCR test is a method used to detect viral genetic material called RNA or antigen to tell whether or not someone has the virus. This testing technique is used globally to check the presence of COVID-19.
The GHS Director-General wants Ghanaians to know that the research centers in charge of testing samples for the virus are using this standard method and there is no way any result could be faulty.
“It detects the virus to locate where the virus is. What they are doing is very specific for COVID-19. So, if you use some rapid test to check your antibody meaning your body producing something when you become exposed, that is what can give you false positive. But for what we’re doing, I can assure that, short of maybe a missing report; I won’t say false positive is a problem’,’ he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ program.