The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed 173 more cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) to put the total number of cases at 6,269.

The number of recoveries has also shot up by 144 from the last update of 1,754.

This means Ghana now has 1,898 recoveries but its death toll has remained at 31 over the last four days.

According to the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the new infections had come from five out of the 16 regions in the country with the Greater Accra Region still leading the chart with 46 more cases.

The Western Region has recorded 59 more cases putting its total case count at 170, Ashanti, 35 more cases, Central 27 and Eastern Region recording six new cases.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye disclosed that so far 31 patients have been managed under intensive care unit (ICU), with two, put on ventilators.

“Six mortalities have been recorded, 16 have been discharged home and currently we have eight in ICU; four at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, two at the Ga East Hospital, one at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and one at the Ho Government Hospital.”

The Director-General indicated that so far over 187,000 tests have been conducted, of which 1,920 tested positive during general surveillance and 4,349 from enhanced contact tracing.

The Greater Accra Region, he said, accounted for 20 out of the 31 deaths recorded in the country, of which 17 are males and three, females.

“Twenty-eight of the persons who died have co-morbidity issues and three have no underlying issue so we can confirm they died of COVID-19,” he said.

On decentralising treatment for the disease, Dr Kuma-Aboagye made it known that a total of 71 treatment and isolation centres have been identified across the country with nine testing sites on hand to ramp up testing of COVID-19.

“All 16 regions have so far been able to identify and set up at least one regional level and two other treatment centres and isolation facilities and with the number of cases reducing by the day, we do not expect to be overwhelmed with the cases,” he stated.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye who used the opportunity to clarify payment of contact tracers, noted that the GHS had strengthened its systems to respond and contain further spread of the virus as it targeted hotspots for better management of cases.

“All contact tracers have been paid and currently because the number of cases are reducing, we are relying more on our staff instead of the volunteers to do the contact tracing.

“With the 50 per cent allowance for frontline staff, the Ministry of Health is working on it and they will be paid.

BY ABIGAIL ANNOH