The Eastern Regional Hospital has denied reports that it has recorded a confirmed case of COVID-19.

A statement signed by Dr Cardinal Newton, the Ag. Medical Director said: “Our attention has been drawn to news making the rounds on social media that the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua has confirmed two cases of coronavirus. We wish to inform all and sundry that the news is false and should not be taken seriously.”

The Hospital says it has put in place all the measures to ensure that its numerous patrons and care givers are protected.

Ghana has recorded seven cases of coronavirus.

The government has, therefore, placed a ban on all social gatherings as part of moves to reduce the spread of the virus.

The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019 and recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

As of Wednesday, 18 March 2020, more than 219,000 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in over 150 countries and territories, resulting in more than 8,900 deaths and 85,000 recoveries.

Regions affected by major outbreaks include mainland China, Europe, Iran, South Korea and the United States.

On 13 March, the WHO announced that Europe had become the new epicentre of the pandemic.

The virus is primarily spread between people in a manner similar to influenza, via respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing.