Dr Boakye Boateng, the Ahafo Regional Director of Health has commended health workers and stakeholders in the sector for their commitment to preventing the spread of the COVID-19 in the region.

He said 19 deaths had so far been recorded in the region as, at April 28, this year, with the regional case count pegged at 711.

Dr Boateng indicated 7,889 people including health workers, media professionals and security services were vaccinated in the first phase of the COVID-19 nationwide vaccination exercise in the region.

He was speaking at a stakeholder's meeting on COVID-19 organised by Care International, a Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), in Sunyani and attended by health workers selected from the various District and Municipal Assemblies in the Bono and Ahafo Regions.

With funding from Mars Incorporated, the project aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in selected coco-growing communities in the country.

Dr Boateng said the region had made headway in COVID-19 prevention, but the region needed to purposely build a COVID-19 center and ICU urgently.

He said with support from key stakeholders, COVID-19 education had been intensified with many people in local communities adhering to the health safety protocols, as well as government restrictions.

That notwithstanding, Dr Boateng advised the people to be cautious not to disregard the health safety protocols and government restrictions that could trigger the spread of new infections.

According to Mr Anala JB Marshall, the Project Manager of Care International, the project further sought to enhance the livelihoods of cocoa-farmer households in 60 communities in Bono, Ahafo, Ashanti, and Western Regions.