Eastern Region improves on COVID-19 recovery

The Eastern Region has recorded an improvement in COVID-19 recovery rate, with 97.7 per cent fully recovered cases as health officials stay alert for the new omicron variant.

Eastern Regional Deputy Public Health Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr John E Otoo told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that 6,626 COVID-19 recorded cases in the region have been fully recovered.

However, he said there 0.3 per cent of active cases were recorded with 2.1 per cent deaths in the region as of 20 December 2021.

He said the condition of most of the infected persons who were reported was mild, hence, and were given no treatment but were monitored closely.

He noted that treatments were given to infected persons whose conditions were critical, most of who had underlying health issues.

As of December 20, 2021, the Eastern Region of Ghana registered 6,626 cases of COVID-19 comprising, 1,278 (19.3 per cent) health workers, 822 (12.4 per cent) students, and the general public.

Ghana recorded its first two cases of COVID-19 on March 12, 2020, and declared a lockdown in two major cities in the country, effective March 30, 2020.

The lockdown was one of the major measures taken to prevent the wild spread of the deadly virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) called for the wearing of nose masks, constant washing of hands with soap under running water, and the use of 70 per cent alcohol-filled hand sanitizers.

Also, it emphasised the keeping of two meters of social distancing as part of the preventive protocols to be observed by all across the world.

To contain the variant, Ghana received its first COVID-19 vaccines in March 2021 and have currently administered 6,924,267 doses to citizens.

According to WHO, the vaccines demonstrate at least 50 per cent efficacy against severe disease, warning, the vaccines could cause adverse reactions.

The reactions are mild and short-term, such as pain at the injection site, tiredness, or headache, it said.

Dr Otoo said Eastern Region received 1,008,810 doses of the vaccine to administer to a target population of 2,134,787 in the region.

The breakdown includes 89,370 Pfizer, 122,640 Moderna, 248,700 Johnson & Johnson and 548,100 AstraZeneca.

So far, Dr Otoo said the Ghana Health Directorate has administered 603,500 vaccines to the target population.

“170,530 fully vaccinated and 498,916 have received at least one dose”, he added.

The Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Winfred Ofosu said the region has administered Pfizer vaccines to students from age 15 and above.

This, he said was a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 among students in the region.

He observed that though active cases are low, it was important to observe the COVID-19 preventive protocols, especially in the festive season to ensure a decrease of the virus next year.

GNA