Health authorities in the Ashanti Region have directed 30 people who have come into contact with the COVID-19 victim in Obuasi to go into self-isolation as part of measures to curtail the spread of the virus.

All such people are being closely monitored by health professionals to determine whether they have been infected in the next 14 days.

Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Regional Director of Health Services who announced this in Kumasi, said there was no need for fear and panic as authorities put measures in place to contain the virus.

He was addressing the media to provide update on the Region’s preparedness to contain the virus and the response so far on the Obuasi case.

He said the victim was a 56-year-old who returned to the country from the United Kingdom on March 4 and started showing signs of the virus on March 10.

According to him, blood samples of the victim that was taken to the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) tested positive, paving way for contact-tracing and other protocols to be rolled out.

The Regional Director said the victim was not acutely ill and currently under close observation as well as his wife and children.

He entreated the general public to remain calm and strictly observe all preventive measures outlined in the risk communication being disseminated by the Regional Health Directorate, adding that, any fear and panic could derail the preventive efforts.

“The good thing is that we have not recorded any indigenous case. All cases recorded so far are imported,” he observed.

Dr. Tinkorang also urged the media to be circumspect in their reportage and stressed the need to disseminate accurate information as key stakeholders in the fight against the virus.

He said the Rapid Response Team was on standby to attend to cases and urged the public to report suspected cases for prompt response.