The North East Regional Director of Health Service, Dr Abdulai Abukari, has appealed to stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders, to help re-kindle the fight against COVID-19 in the region by enforcing the safety protocols.

He described the recent breach of the safety protocols as worrying and a threat to national security, especially the non-wearing of face masks and the lack of social distancing at gatherings.

He made the call during a presentation of the situational update on COVID-19 in the region to members of the Regional Public Health Emergency Management Committee (RPHEMC) at Nalerigu last Thursday.

Dr Abukari urged the committee to up their game in the fight against the virus, saying “the virus is still with us, it has not gone yet so let’s continue the fight.”

He said the Ghana Health Service had also put in place some new strategies to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection and its spread, notable among them being meeting all regional taskforces and various stakeholders to rekindle the spirit of the fight against the infection.

“We have observed that adherence to COVID-19 protocols is waning and there is the need to increase efforts to ensure that the people continue to observe the protocols,” he stated.

Cases

Giving the breakdown of COVID-19 statistics in the region, Dr Abukari stated that “since the beginning of the pandemic, the region has recorded 232 confirmed cases and 10 deaths but no active cases in the region as of Thursday, July 22, 2021.”

He indicated that no case had been recorded in any school in the region so far, attributing the feat to the measures put in place in the various schools to contain the virus.

While appealing to all stakeholders and the general public to support the government in the fight against the pandemic, the regional director further appealed to health partners and all stakeholders to support his outfit with vehicles such as pick-ups for disease surveillance and the monitoring of COVID-19 activities in the region.

For his part, the North East Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education, Mr Wilberforce Zangina, reiterated the commitment of the commission to intensify its sensitisation of the public to the virus.