Mr Ikililu Amidu, the Bono East Regional births and deaths registration officer, says there is a drastic decline in births and deaths registration in the region due to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Mr Amidu said because of COVID-19 and the measures government took against its spread, most people were afraid to come and register.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday at Techiman, Mr Amidu said out of a target of 35,009, the Registry recorded only 11,298 births and 216 deaths between January to June 2020.

According to him 5,824 and 5,474 were males and females respectively for the births, which represented 32 per cent of expected total registration within the period and the lowest in the history of the Registry in the region.

Within the same period, males and females recorded figures for death were 118 and 98 respectively, he added.

Mr Amidu said there was a need for parents to register their children within a week after delivery because late registrations delayed data for national planning.

He explained the number of death registrations was not encouraging as compared to previous years because people failed to register their dead relatives before burial due to lack of knowledge about the benefits they might receive afterwards.

Mr Amidu emphasised that registration for births and deaths certificates was important because such documents could be required in addressing certain personal administrative challenges such as processing of travelling documents and seeking for employment.

He urged the public to register for birth certificates early to avoid the rush when in need.