Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, moments ago, related that Guyana’s COVID-19 cases have jumped from 12 confirmed cases to 19.
The data shows that all of the new cases originated from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), as the region leads the list with 17 cases. Other than that, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) have one case each.
Thus far, 70 persons were tested to which one proved inconclusive.
Just Tuesday, Guyana recorded its second COVID-19 death. The victim-38-year-old Jermaine Ifill, was one of two persons placed in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after testing positive for COVID-19.
Ifill was an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), who worked at a health care centre in Kitty, Georgetown. About one week ago, he reportedly complained of feeling unwell and was tested. He died on Tuesday morning. His wife, a nurse at the GPHC, has since been quarantined. This newspaper was told that prior to being placed in the ICU, he was in the male wade at the medical facility.
Prior to his death, the medical professional had cautioned the hospital – where his wife is a professional nurse – to enable precautions to ensure people are kept safe. This was also directed at the Ministry via his social media account.
This second death comes almost three weeks after the country recorded its first death. On March 11, 52-year-old Ratna Baboolall died at the GPHC after being admitted one day prior. Baboolall, also referred to as patient zero, had returned to Guyana from New York. Upon testing her relatives, four of them also tested positive for the deadly virus and were subsequently placed in isolation.
