Ghana’s COVID-19 caseload has shot up to 21,968 after the Ghana Health Service confirmed 891 new cases, Director-General Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye told journalists at the Information Ministry’s press briefing on Tuesday, 7 July 2020.

The number of recoveries is also up; it is now 17,156.

The death toll is 129.

Currently, there are 4,683 active cases.

Twenty-two of the active cases are severe while six are severe with five on ventilators.

At the same briefing, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah reported that Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo has tested positive for COVID-19.

“Senior Minister Osafo-Maafo has been informed that his sample taken has returned positive for COVID-19", Mr Oppong Nkrumah said.

He is one of some government officials who have tested positive.

Just recently President Nana Akufo-Addo went into self-isolation after getting exposed to a COVID-19-positive person, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said in a statement issued on Saturday, 4 July 2020.

“On the advice of doctors, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is from today, 4 July 2020, taking a 14-day precautionary self-isolation measure in compliance with COVID-19 protocols,” the statement added.

It said: “The President has elected to do so after, at least, one person within his close circle, tested positive for COVID-19 today.”

According to the statement, the President opted to self-isolate “out of the abundance of caution” even though he has tested negative for the virus.

“The President will, during this precautionary self-isolation period, be working from the Presidential Villa at the Jubilee House, Accra,” the statement added.

Just on Friday, 3 July 2020, the President accepted the resignation letter of the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries, Mr Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, after he exposed others to the disease despite knowing he had tested positive.

This followed the admission by Mr Ahenkorah of his breach of the COVID-19 protocols, when, as a person certified to be positive for the virus, he visited a registration centre in his constituency before the period of self-isolation was complete.

A letter from the Presidency signed by Mr Eugene Arhin, Director of Communication, said President Akufo-Addo is admonishing all of his appointees to bear in mind that they are to provide leadership, at all times, for adherence to the protocols that have been established to help the nation defeat COVID-19.

In accepting the resignation, Nana Akufo-Addo recognised that Mr Ahenkorah had acted honourably in the circumstances by resigning from his office and wished him well.

"I took my COVID-19 to some registration centres" – Carlos Ahenkorah, but says "I was very careful"

On Thursday, 2 July 2020, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah said despite being COIVD-19 positive, he toured some registration centres to see how the process was going when the Electoral Commission began registering Ghanaians for a new voter ID card ahead of the 7 December 2020 polls.

The Tema West MP admitted to Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen political talk show host Osei Bonsu in an interview that he toured the centres on the first day of the exercise – Tuesday, 30 June 2020.

“I decided to see how some of the centres were just operating. So, I stepped out into town a bit. It didn’t mean I couldn’t go out. My test results had shown I was positive a week ago and after one week, my doctors said I could step out,” he told Asempa FM

“They [doctors] said I could go out, except that I needed to wear my mask and observe social distancing,” the lawmaker added.

He said he was “very careful” and “very mature about it”.

Also, the Okere District Chief Executive, a few days ago, denied rumours that the Minister of Regional Reorganisation, Mr Dan Botwe has died of COVID-19.

“It has come to our notice the rumour circulating that Hon. Daniel Botwe, MP for Okere Constituency is dead”, Mr Daniel Kenneth said in a statement, adding: “I wish to inform the general public that this news is false and should be treated with all the contempt it deserves”.

“Hon Daniel Botwe is fine by God’s grace and was discharged on Saturday, 4 July 2020 around 1 pm”, the statement noted.

“I wish to implore all concerned persons not to be alarmed and that he’s home with his family. Let us all continue to offer prayers of good health and long life for him. We are also very grateful for all loved ones and genuine persons for their prayers and show of concern. Thank you for your attention”, the statement added.