As the world grapples with COVID-19 (coronavirus), 40 Guyanese – 34 in New York and six locally – have died from the disease thus far, while the number of local cases has climbed to 47.
The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall prepared with beds
In the latest update from the Public Health Ministry on Monday, it reported that there are now 47 cases, as of April 13, which represents an increase of two from the 45 reported on Sunday, with the number of deaths remaining at six.
The number of persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation has climbed to five, from the previously reported three on the prior day. Two days ago, caretaker Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo reported that some 34 Guyanese succumbed to the disease in New York alone, bringing the total reported Guyanese deaths to 40.
“We have received a partial list from the consulate in New York and that partial list has placed the number at 34. It is not a global list as Guyanese live and work everywhere on this planet,” he had stated.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has so far conducted tests on two hundred and thirteen (213) persons, an increase from the one hundred and ninety-three (193) reported on the previous day, reflecting that some 20 persons were tested in 24 hours. Of these 213 persons, 166 tested negative. This means that 22 per cent of the persons tested in Guyana, so far, have been infected.
While there are 47 reported cases, there are now 33 persons in the Ministry’s institutional isolation facilities and 19 in the institutional quarantine facilities. In a COVID-19 Response Situation Update for Guyana report published by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) on Monday, it was reported that there are currently four active national quarantine and isolation facilities in Guyana and three planned facilities. It should be noted that the Georgetown Public Hospital is the only facility with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for COVID-19, and has a capacity for 16 patients. The other facilities listed are the West Demerara Regional Hospital, the Diamond Diagnostic Centre and the Madewini Youth Centre.
The West Demerara Regional Hospital, which has the capacity for 36 patients and currently houses 17, has isolation and quarantine facilities, medical equipment and personnel, On the other hand, the Diamond Diagnostic Centre—which has a capacity for 70 patients and currently houses nine—has similar capabilities with the exception of quarantine facilities. The Madewini Youth Centre, with a capacity for 132 patients and currently has 8, is only listed as a quarantine facility that is outfitted with medical personnel.
One of the planned facilities is the Ocean View International Hotel, which will be repurposed to be used as an isolation and treatment facility. While the CDC has reported that the capacity target for this planned facility has not yet been determined, caretaker Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence had previously said that the aim is to have it outfitted with 300 beds. Meanwhile, the proposed quarantine facilities are the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, with a capacity for 350, and the National Gymnasium, with a capacity for 200.
