The Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) has secured two more COVID-19 Isolation Centres in Ho, in a swift response to the recent upsurge of cases in the region.

One of the new centres has a bed-capacity of 30 while the other has 40.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the VRCC are set to acquire another estate in the municipality for use as an isolation centre, with a bed capacity of about 60.

As of last Friday, the region recorded 309 COVID-19 cases, with only 95 beds available at the five treatment centres -Ho, Aflao, Hohoe, Adidome and Battor.

The treatment centre at Ho has a bed capacity of 45 while the rest of the centres have 10 each.

Dr Kwesi Djokoto, Deputy Director of Health (DDH) in-charge of Public Health in the region, who disclosed these to the Ghanaian Times in Ho last Saturday said the new isolation centres would take in only asymptomatic patients.

Dr Djokoto hinted that if the cases continued to soar, then some main wards in the district hospitals would be converted exclusively into COVID-19 wards, “but we have not reached there yet and we hope not to reach there,” he added.

The DDH said that the protocol for discharging COVID-19 patients had been reviewed to a new procedure in which patients with no possible evidence of infecting others would be sent home, after two weeks of isolation.

In that regard, Dr Djokoto said, 210 COVID-19 patients in the region were expected to be discharged this week.

When contacted, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, said that the current COVID-19 figures were no cause for panic, saying “once we all maintain a firm stance to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols, the trend will begin to curb sooner than later.”