He said journalists should rather intensify public education on the instructions and directives from the government and World Health Organisation to stem the spread of the disease.

Mr Adjei made the call during a risk communication workshop for selected journalists in the Western and Western North Regions, to help spread facts in the fight against COVID -19.

The Health Promotion Officer, sensitised the participants on the COVID-19   pandemic with some of the frequently asked questions, managing rumours, providing accurate, factual and up to date information to the public.

He stressed the need to use only developed and approved materials such as posters, leaflets, banners pull-ups and billboards from the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service for public education in the fight against COVID-19.

He explained that effective communication using media tools would help create awareness for behaviour change in the fight against COVID-19.

He said, "with the 313 cases recorded so far in the country is an indication that contact tracing and testing is effectively going on and asked that all must put their hands on deck by giving appropriate information to the contact tracing teams".

Mr Adjei cautioned media Practitioners against sensationalism and publishing opinions since such publications would undermine the national efforts of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

Such reports, he noted would also stigmatise patients and discourage those suspected to be exposed to the disease from stepping out for testing.

Mr Daniel Bomfeh, Western Regional Health Promotion officer, said the region had so far recorded 45 suspected cases out of which 31 were negative with 16 cases still pending.

He warned that the disease was real and people should take the precautionary measures provided instead of believing that the disease was still far away.

Mr Bomfeh indicated that the media had the power to "make and unmake" the Pandemic since they had the platform to advocate the adherence of the preventive protocols.

Mr Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Western Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association gave the assurance that journalists in the region would follow the ethical protocols in reporting on the virus.

He suggested that funds be made available to media houses to enable them to execute their mandate in the fight against the pandemic and asked members to uphold professionalism in the abnormal times.