Guyana has recorded another death from the novel coronavirus, bringing the country’s total COVID-19 deaths to double figures.
Colonel John Percy Leon Lewis, Sydney Trellis and Lennox Williams
The Public Health Ministry confirmed the 10th death on Tuesday when it published the daily COVID-19 Dashboard on its Facebook page. No details were shared about this latest COVID-19 fatality.
This comes almost one week after the last COVID-19 death and nearly two months after the country’s first case on March 11.
Meanwhile, the country has also recorded one more confirmed coronavirus case, bringing the total number of cases up to 93. There are still three persons in the dedicated Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Five of the ten COVID-19 victims; Ratna Baboolall, Michael Ifill, Shadrach Stoll, Osa Collins and Deryck “Mad Dog” Jaisingh
To date, a total of 680 persons have been tested for the deadly virus and 587 of these were negative.
Currently, there are 56 persons in institutional isolation and six in quarantine. During Monday’s update, caretaker Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence had reported that seven persons were in quarantine.
Nevertheless, some 27 persons have recovered from the life-threatening disease thus far.
Guyana recorded its first coronavirus case following the death of 52-year-old Ratna Baboolall on March 11. She was deemed an imported case having returned to Guyana from New York days prior to her death and has been listed as ‘patient zero’.
The second COVID-19 death was recorded more than two weeks later. An emergency medical technician (EMT), 38-year-old Jermaine Ifill died on March 31 after contracting the disease.
Three days later, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam, Berbice, Osa Collins, became the third persons to die from the coronavirus after experiencing complications from the disease.
On the same day, Guyana recorded its fourth COVID-19 death when 59-year-old Shadrach Stoll succumbed while receiving treatment in the COVID-19 ICU.
Meanwhile, popular racer, Deryck Jaisingh died on April 6 after testing positive for coronavirus. Two days later, the country had its sixth COVID-19 fatality following the death of Colonel John Percy Lewis, a 77-year-old engineer who also died shortly after testing positive.
A 49-year-old Lindener, Sydney Trellis, was the seventh death after dying on April 18. His death was followed by 45-year-old Lennox Williams, who died in the dedicated ICU at GPHC on April 24.
The last COVID-19 death, 67-year-old Samuel Morris, was recorded on April 29.
As Guyana’s COVID-19 figures continue to climb with nine new cases and one death already recorded for this week, authorities continue to plead with persons to adhere to the necessary guidelines and restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus. These curfew and restrictions have been extended for another month, until June 3.
In fact, during her update on Monday, Lawrence said “Our health care workers continue to work selflessly in order to protect us all, but you continue to behave very selfishly, with total disregard for your own safety and for your own life. With regard to the social distancing guidelines, you have interpreted them to suit your own agenda. Not only are you continuing to congregate in large numbers, but you are also there way past the curfew time and with no face mask for your protection and those around you.”
She added, “fellow Guyanese, It is extremely unfair to those who are following the guidelines to be placed at unnecessary risk. From the inception you were all told that we can stop COVID-19 from spreading; by simply staying home and following all the precautionary guidelines; that advice is still in effect. You know all these guidelines, so please adhere to them so that we can get on with our lives and our livelihood.”
