A total of 97 health workers in the Ashanti Region have contracted the deadly novel coronavirus in line of duty, the Regional Health Directorate has revealed.
One of them, a Medical Director of the Kwadaso SDA Hospital has died while 14 have since recovered.
Health workers affected include 18 doctors and 47 nurses, as well as administrators and cleaners.
Kumasi Metro, Obuasi and Oforikrom led with high cases of health workers who have contracted the virus that has so far infected over 12,000 people in the country and killed 66 of them.
With only four ventilators for critically-ill patients, the regional Health Directorate says the trend could spark doom.
“The bottom line in Ashanti region is that we need to adhere to the guidelines and protocols announced by the President, going round Kumasi you feel so disheartened because people don’t want to wear the nose masks, we don’t see the Veronica buckets anywhere; with this, we cannot fight COVID-19” the Regional health Director, Dr Tinkorang told journalists Wednesday.
The two covid treatment centres in the Region are currently full to capacity, he revealed.
Alternatives are being explored to augment the 18-bed centre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the 20-bed centre at Kumasi South Hospital.
“As at now we have a total of 38 beds at our treatment centres and they are all full. What we have decided to do is to expand the number of beds we have at our treatment centres at Kumasi South and Komfo Anokye,” Dr Tinkorang explained.
Ashanti Region has a total of 2,362 coronavirus, making it the second highest in the country.
Currently, only one person in the region is critically ill.
Of the 66 people who have died of the virus nationwide, 38 of them are from the Ashanti Region.
By Beatrice Spio Garbrah