AUTHOR=Akowuah Kwasi A. , Akuffo Richard A. , Boateng Anthony T. , Asigbee Theodore W. , Bonney Joseph H. K. , Lamptey Helena , Adusei-Poku Mildred A. , Obodai Evangeline , Asante Ivy A. , Adjei Samuel , Aboagye James O. , Adu-Amankwah Susan , Partey Frederica D. , Kyei George B. , Ampofo William K. , Odoom John K. , Bonney Evelyn Y. 

TITLE=SARS-CoV-2 infections among asymptomatic individuals contributed to COVID-19 cases: A cross-sectional study among prospective air travelers from Ghana

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1035763

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.1035763

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Abstract
Background: The spread of SARS-CoV-2 by asymptomatic individuals has been reported since the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in various parts of the world. There is however limited data regarding SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic persons in Ghana. The study aimed at using test data of prospective travelers from Ghana as proxy to estimate the contribution of asymptomatic cases to the spread of COVID-19.
Methods: The study analyzed SARS-CoV-2 PCR test data of clients whose purpose for testing was classified as “Travel” at the COVID-19 walk-in test center of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) from July 2020 to July 2021. These persons requesting tests for travel generally had no clinical symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. Data were processed and analyzed using Microsoft Excel office 16 and STATA version 16. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data on test and demographic characteristics.
Results: Out of 42,997 samples tested at the center within that period, 28,384 (66.0%) were classified as “Travel” tests. Of these, 1900 (6.7%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Majority (64.8%) of the “Travel” tests were requested by males. The males recorded a SARS-CoV-2 positivity of 6.9% compared to 6.4% observed among females. Test requests for SARS-CoV-2 were received from all regions of Ghana; with majority (83.3%) received from the Greater Accra Region. Although the Eastern region recorded the highest SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate of 8.35%, the Greater Accra region contributed 81% to the total number of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases detected within the period of study. 
Conclusion:  Our study found substantial SARS-CoV-2 positivity among asymptomatic person who, without the requirement for a Negative SARS-CoV-2 result for travel, would have no reason to test. These asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected persons could have travelled to other countries and unintentionally spread the virus. Our findings call for enhanced tracing and testing of asymptomatic contacts of persons who test positive for SARS-CoV-2.