CMO urges private, public hospitals to collect COVID-19 samples

As persons continue to complain of symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud is urging both private and public hospitals to collect samples, in hopes that they will be later tested.

During a public forum on Sunday night, he indicated that the progression of the virus and increased cases would’ve resulted in a series of measures to contain any possible spread.
This is the first time in weeks that the CMO has publicly addressed issues on the epidemic. Health facilities were asked to collect a sample of anyone who presents indications of respiratory illnesses or complications.
“We’re encouraging the facilities, both public and private, to collect samples from those persons for testing and we’re going even further than that to identify some community contacts. I think this is where we would really have to look at the number of tests available. Once we have adequate supplies of kits, I’m sure we’ll move out.”
Dr Persaud went on to say that every person who has had contact with a positively identified case of the coronavirus should be tested.
“I’m actually hoping that we can ramp up testing and at least test all of the persons who were in contact with positive cases or who had direct contact with those cases to test them. We have expanded the protocol to anyone who presents to one of our hospital with severe acute respiratory illness. Once the doctors identify those persons, special measures are instituted immediately,” he said.
On Saturday caretaker Prime Minister, Moses Nagamottoo announced via a virtual press conference that private hospitals were given the green light to import kits and conduct testing. Since the epidemic, only the National Public Health Reference Laboratory was permitted to process testing kits.
Government has buckled to put this measure in place, due to requests over the past week and as numbers continue to climb. This will ensure that rapid testing is facilitated through public and private means.
Nagamootoo claimed, “I know we are working in cooperation with the private sector and we’ve now given the green light for private hospitals to import their own testing kits so that you can supplement and do rapid testing on both state and non-state institutions.”
There are also plans to approach private hospitals to designate space for treatment as the pandemic deepens.
Former shadow Public Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony had called on the caretaker coalition to tap into the resources of the private health sector to boost its testing capacity for COVID-19.
“We need the Private Sector to come on board and they need the Ministry to allow them – giving them the permission to go ahead so that they can add to the testing capacity of the country,” he was quoted as saying.
Dr Anthony, one of the key stakeholders in the National COVID-19 Response Forum that was established by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), explained that many of the private hospitals and laboratories here in Guyana have the human capacity as well as the equipment readily available. As such, they just need to get the supplies in order to conduct tests for COVID-19 themselves.