The Bono Region has recorded 15 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) since January this year, pegging the regional case count to 657, Dr John Ekow Otoo, the Deputy Bono Regional Director, Public Health, said on Monday.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that most of the patients had recovered, however, 11 of them were receiving treatment at the various treatment centers in the region.

So far, he added two people had died of COVID-19 in the region, saying the deaths included; a 57-year-old man who had kidney problems at Wenchi.

The other death was recorded at the regional hospital in Sunyani last Friday, January 22 of a 77-year-old hypertensive woman.

Dr Otoo was unhappy about the increasing rate of new infections in the region, and attributed it to people's negligence of not adhering to health safety protocols, though the directorate had intensified public education on the COVID-19.

He explained about 80 of the confirmed cases were among people who contacted infected persons, saying cases were being recorded every day.

Dr Otoo appealed to the public to endeavour to always wear their nose or face masks, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers frequently, and wash their hands with soap under running water, to prevent the spread of the viral disease in the region.