A whopping four COVID-19 deaths have been reported as of August 19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 29, with 39 new cases.
Dead: Aaron Peters
The Health Ministry on Wednesday revealed that a 43-year-old woman, who was a patient of the transitional ward at the Georgetown Public Hospital, died as a result of COVID-19.
According to the Ministry, upon admission to the GPHC, a swab test was done, and following her death at 09:00 on Wednesday, the results came back as positive.
Also on Wednesday, the Ministry announced Guyana’s 27th COVID-19-related death. The victim is a 72-year-old man, who died in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after receiving medical care for five days.
His death was followed by the country’s 28th and 29th deaths – who died at the Bartica Hospital, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), at about 18:00h, also on Wednesday. The patients who died at the hospital were a male and a female, aged 55 and 41 respectively.
Meanwhile, within one day, there was 39 new case of the virus locally, which raised the total statistics to 776.
73-year-old Wilfred James, 23rd COVID-19 death
Statistics from the Health Ministry show that the number of active cases in institutional isolation is 68 – an increase of six patients.
Meanwhile, 21 persons are now out of institutional quarantine, decreasing the total to 55.
There are 298 persons under home isolation and two persons in the designated ICU. In one day, there were an additional 16 recoveries, and this now amounts to 381 recuperated patients.
A gender distribution shows that 394 males and 382 females contracted the virus.
Meanwhile, a breakdown of the regional contraction rate illustrated that 114 positives were detected in Region One (Barima-Waini), eight in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 39 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 222 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), one in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), seven in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), 169 in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), nine in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), 164 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 43 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
The new cases originated from Regions One, Three, Four, Six, Seven, and Nine. In less than a week, seven new deaths were reported.
Emotional turmoil
Meanwhile, the family of 87-year-old Aaron Peters, who was reported as Guyana’s 24th COVID-19-related death, has accused the GPHC of infecting the man with the deadly virus.
Peters, who is a resident of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), died on Monday in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the GPHC.
When contacted on Wednesday, the man’s family was in a state of emotional turmoil as they try to come to grips with the passing of their loved one.
His daughter, Kim Peters-Yearwood, was deeply distraught about the series of events that occurred before her father’s death. She explained that her dad was suffering from diabetes, which was compounded by an enlarged heart and lung disease.
“After he was not eating for a couple of days, I realised that he started getting more weak because he is diabetic, so I said I have to seek medical attention for him,” the woman explained, as she added that she carried him to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.
Whilst there, the staff informed her that the building was under renovation and that she should take her ill father at Herstelling to be tested for COVID-19.
“Anyways, I went to Herstelling, I had him take the test done, but he did not get to see any doctor concerning his condition. So, I decided to go down to Georgetown Hospital, and that is where they admitted him on Tuesday (August 11, 2020).”
Peters-Yearwood added that before she left GPHC on Tuesday, health officials had him in a room next to the emergency door. The following day, she went back to the health institution and her father was still in the same place where she left him the previous day. But this time, she was denied access to see him.
On Friday, August 14, 2020, the woman went back to the facility where she was told that her father was in the ICU.
The grieving daughter elucidated that her daughter is pregnant and is expecting the baby soon. During the conference call, he asked if his grandchild has arrived.
“He started to cry and said, he doesn’t know whether he would come home or how long he would stay, and he doesn’t know how long he will make it, so with that, he started to cry,” she said, as the entire family started began to cry.
On Monday, the family received the shocking news of the passing of the elderly man.
The entire family is arguing that the man contracted the virus at the GPHC.
The devastated daughter noted that neighbours started discriminating against them following the announcement that their dad died from the virus.
“One of my sisters who don’t live with us, her workplace called her and told her because her father died from COVID-19, she must stay home two weeks,” she concluded.
