The Central Regional Office of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has attributed the exponential increase of COVID 19 cases to the new delta variant that has been found in the Region and the country in general.

Describing the Region’s situation as ‘really serious’, it indicated that researches showed that the delta variant was about 50 per cent more contagious than the Alpha variant of the novel pandemic.

Updating the media during a press briefing, Dr. Akosua Owusu-Sarpong, Central Regional Director of Health, said the Region, which recorded 31 and 81 cases as at Friday 16 and Saturday, July 24 respectively now stands at 121.
She called on all and sundry to collectively adhere strictly to all laid down safety protocols to be able to halt and defeat its spread.

COVID-19 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in the Region, as at Monday, July 26 is 36.

“The threat is that, the delta variant is more transmissible and therefore more people stand the chance of getting infected faster if measures are not taken to curb it spread”, she stated.

She revealed that the Regional Health Directorate and its public health unit as well as the risk response and COVID-19 committees had met to put in place robust and enhanced measures to ensure the general populace strictly complied with all protocols especially for physical distancing and the wearing of nose masks.

“It is so worrying to see people going about their daily works not wearing face masks, no hand washing items are seen in various markets and institutions, we have to go back to it because we can’t afford to have increase in cases” she lamented.

She noted that fighting COVID-19 required a unified effort from all and there was the need to exhibit the culture that would curtail the virus, stating “we have done this before in the first and second wave and we can do it again”.

On vaccination, Dr. Owusu-Sarpong encouraged all to quickly get their shots as soon as the health centres were furnished with vaccines adding that it would protect all from the severe forms of the disease.

“We need to be interested in getting vaccinated, forgo the myths and misconceptions because they are all false, nothing will happen to you like you hear, get involved and get protected” she added.

Dr Owusu-Sarpong mentioned again that, funerals and all other large gatherings must be held in open spaces possibly with few numbers where people could easily be monitored to distance themselves from each other and ensure proper coughing and sneezing etiquette.