– total active cases now 72
– Region 1 residents urged to report entry of non-nationals
Climbing at an alarming rate, Guyana’s COVID-19 statistics took a startling jump to 150 confirmed cases on Thursday, after 11 persons tested positive during a 24-hour period.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud, who delivered the daily update, noted that the number of deaths remain 11.
Some 1559 tests were conducted thus far, with 1409 returning a negative result. In the designated facilities, there are 72 cases in institutional isolation, 11 persons in institutional quarantine and two patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). To date, there have been 67 recoveries.
“Guyanese, we are a resilient nation, and this resilience was built on
the wisdom of those who came before us. Let us take a page out of their book and act wisely. Let us invest in those who will come after us by adhering to the guidance provided to us,” the CMO said during his address.
Dr Persaud highlighted that Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) is the only administrative region that has not reported a single case of the novel coronavirus – an achievement which they are hoping to maintain.
“We applaud the residents of Region Eight and their efforts in putting measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as this disease continues to ravage the neighbouring country Brazil. Region Eight remains free of this disease and we at the Ministry of Public Health will continue to work with you to maintain this status,” the CMO declared.
However, he pointed out that authorities were especially worried about Region One (Barima-Waini), owing to the increased movement of people.
“You may have already heard of the Ministry’s growing concern for this region, especially as there is a continuous movement of persons in and out of the Region, which makes residents extremely vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. So, residents of Region One and particularly our miners, I plead with you to take extra care and adhere to the guidelines for mining in order to protect your families and friends,” the CMO urged.
It was mentioned earlier that Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) is also facing an imminent threat from neighbouring Brazil – now considered South America’s epicentre for the coronavirus.
He advised persons to utilise the hotlines to make reports of suspected cases, and report instances where migrants or other non-nationals are entering the country through closed borders.
“Please report if you have information of non-nationals entering your region especially now that the border is closed. The non-official crossings are adding to the burden of surveillance. We continue to plead with residents to call the hotline if you present any signs or symptoms consistent with the coronavirus disease.”
Discrimination
In some sub-districts, the senior health official said there were reports of discrimination meted out to persons suspected to have the virus. Some persons in Region One are also refusing to cooperate with authorities.
“We ask in this crisis, that instead of shunning your fellow citizens that you use this opportunity to come together as one and be tolerant. Residents of the communities in Region One, the worst scenario will be your refusal to cooperate with the medical authorities and the guidelines. This fight is for everyone and so I ask you to act responsibly: if a death occurs, then you should support the bereaved family, if someone recovers, you should reach out and give your total support,” he insisted.
Presently, permanent mobile units have been established in Regions Four (Demerara-Mahaica); Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to effectively deal with persons who came into contact with positive cases and also, to administer treatment to individuals presenting symptoms.
The CMO noted that while sample collecting caused some discomfort, it should be done correctly to yield accurate results.
“I understand that this process is somewhat uncomfortable; however, we beg you to cooperate despite the discomfort. You will appreciate that if the process is not performed accurately and the sample is insufficient, we can have the wrong results. So, we ask all of you to give the testing team your full cooperation.”
Globally, the statistics show that the total number of COVID-19 cases is 5,488,825 with 349,095 deaths. In the Region of the Americas, there are 2,495,924 cases with 145,810 deaths.
