She said the facility was expecting more allocations from the Ministry in due course while dispelling rumours of any case at the facility or in the Volta region.

Dr Boakye-Yiadom said this at a media engagement organised by tripartite institutions of the HTH, the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and the Volta Chapter of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).

It is aimed at escalating advocacy and preventive protocols and mechanisms for triaging in lieu of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

She said the HTH planned to expand its four-bed capacity isolation ward to a 20 bed capacity in anticipation of a full blown outbreak as well as strengthen existing facilities for case containment.

The Microbiologist said HTH had the capacity to set up its testing laboratory with the creation of additional laboratory to take care of such cases with support from the Ministry and partners.

Dr Boakye-Yiadom said the HTH public address system was being used to create awareness on the outbreak with mortuary attendants having protocols on how to handle highly contagious dead bodies.

Mrs Maria Gwira, Director, Public Affairs of UHAS said four sub-groups had been set up namely; clinical and diagnostic, laboratory, education and training as well as advocacy and publicity with terms of reference to plan the safety of students and faculty and immediate publics of the University.

Mr Anthony-Bells Kafui Kanyi, Volta GJA Chair called on journalists to be circumspect and exercise the highest form of decorum in their reportage on the pandemic.

He urged them to cross-check facts and sustain the tempo of the campaign on the protocols and safety measures adding, "Let's also be safety conscious to live to report."

Mr Kanyi appealed to duty bearers to give timeous and accurate information to the media to shut the gate to speculations and half-truths.