The Chinese Embassy has given assurances to the government, parents and guardians that Ghanaian students in Wuhan in the Hubei Province are in good health.
The Embassy indicated that the Chinese government and psychotherapy professionals have implemented rapid and comprehensive public health emergence interventions on counselling the students following the outbreak of coronavirus in China.
It indicated that it is also working closely with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Embassy in Beijing to strengthen the protection of the students in China.
A statement issued by Shi Ting Wang, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, commended the government on its scientific approach and timely response in the face of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.
He acknowledged the concerns of the Ghanaian students and the request of their parents for evacuation.
“However, the facts have demonstrated that it’s the safest choice for foreigners to stay in China and abide by the COVID-19 prevention measures of the Chinese government because the long distance international travel will highly increase the risks infection.”
“For instance, US and other countries have not only evacuated their nationals back home, but also brought COVID-19 virus back to their home countries, which will undoubtedly threaten the health and safety of their families and friends and spread the epidemic worldwide,” he said.
The Ambassador insists it is safe for the Ghanaian students to stay in China at present and that the Chinese government will ensure they have sufficient food, drinking water and other logistic support.
He assured, “We will also provide excellent medical service if necessary.”
“Rumours that the Ghanaian students in Hubei province and Wuhan city are starving with no food and water are not true.”
Ambassador Shi Ting Wang noted that even though the situation is still serious, the number of cases has been declining continuously and the death toll remains low and the cure rate rising significantly.
The number of confirmed cases per day in China, he said, has dropped from 3,887 on 4 February to 394 on 19 February and the number of newly confirmed cases in provinces except Hubei has dropped from 890 on February 3 to 45 on February 19.
He indicated that since February 12, more than 1,000 people have been cured per day and as of February 19, 1,779 people have been cured a day.
A total of 16,155 people, he disclosed, have so far been discharged from hospital.
However, 2,118 people have died of the infection with a mortality rate of about 2.5% – compared to 10% for the SARS epidemic, 35% for the MERS epidemic and about 50% of the Ebola epidemic – and 0.6% in provinces except Hubei.
China, he said, has taken prompt actions and powerful measures to contain the spread of the epidemic and has currently stabilized the situation.
