Businessman and broadcaster Maxwell Thom died of COVID-19 on Tuesday while receiving care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Thom was the owner of the 93.1 Real FM radio station and Wireless Connections, a cellphone and electronics store.
Businessman and broadcaster Maxwell Thom
A health official confirmed that the businessman, who only received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, was initially under home isolation after he tested positive for COVID-19, but was taken to the hospital a few days ago.
Meanwhile, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy in a statement on Thom’s passing, said “to lose someone with such zest, zeal and love for country to the dreaded coronavirus reinforces the fact that COVID-19 is real and that it must be taken seriously. The death of a loved one is a painful experience and Maxwell Thom was undoubtedly loved by many”.
The Minister added that “Max, as I grew to call him due to the professional friendship we developed, has made nothing but meaningful contributions to any area he set his sights on. Many may recall that thousands of Guyanese were afforded the opportunity to own a cellular phone because of his pioneering ability”.
That ability, McCoy added, was translated to sober and uplifting messages Thom exuded on his morning broadcasts and by extension on his radio station, adding that as an executive of the Guyana Broadcast Owners’ Association, he played his part in efforts to develop the industry in Guyana.
Thom was also an athlete and a dancer. He is the third media worker who has died as a result of COVID-19. The other two were Namela Henry and Mondale Smith.
