Guyana’s COVID-19 cases jump to 70

– authorities concerned about underreporting of contact due to stigma

As the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases continue to climb in Guyana – now reaching 70, authorities here are grappling with underreporting from persons who have been in contact with COVID-19 patients who have tested positive.

In her daily update on Thursday, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence disclosed that Guyana now has three new COVID-19 cases. While the confirmed cases have increased to 70, the number of deaths remain at seven.

As of Wednesday, a total of 375 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus – 305 of which were negative.

In addition, two more persons have since recovered from the life-threatening disease, bringing the total number of recovered cases up to 12.
There are still 17 persons in institutional quarantine and another 51 in isolation. Currently, there are five persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital. On Wednesday, Lawrence had stated that at least one of the ICU patients was critical.
Nevertheless, she revealed in her latest report that during the period under review, 23 persons in total were admitted to the dedicated COVID-19 ICU. Of the 23, 12 improved and have been removed to a Step-Down Facility while five deaths occurred in the ICU and one person has so far recovered.
Meanwhile, of the 70 positive COVID-19 cases, 66 of the victims contracted the virus right here in Guyana. The remaining four were imported cases including the country’s first COVID-19 case.
Ratan Baboolall, 52, died on March 11, days after returning from New York. She is referred to as ‘Patient Zero’. At least four of her family members, including a 13-year-old, subsequently tested positive for the novel coronavirus but after a period of medical treatment during isolation, they recovered and were released.
However, Lawrence on Thursday disclosed that the Ministry continued to face the challenge of underreporting from persons who have been in contact with a COVID-19 case. This, she explained, is mainly owing to the stigma associated with the coronavirus.
According to the caretaker Minister, this attitude will not benefit anyone. In fact, it would only result in the country’s death toll rising.
“For those of you who are afraid of the associated stigma, I encourage you to be brave, come forward, help us to help you and your family stay alive. I urge you to stop taking matters in your own hands: COVID-19 is serious business. Please call the COVID-19 hotline or utilise the app… Guyanese, lives matter and because of this, if we stand together, we will stand stronger,” Lawrence implored.

During Thursday’s update, Dr Quacy Grant, the Focal Point for Tuberculosis & HIV of the National Tuberculosis Programme in Guyana, spoke about how persons living with TB may be affected by COVID-19.
It was previously reported that persons living with HIV are more at risk of contracting the coronavirus, especially if they are not on medical treatment. According to Dr Grant, the same is for persons diagnosed with Tuberculosis.
“We want you to know that you are at increased risk of developing the most complicated form of COVID-19. If you become infected, you may require ICU care and there is the possibility of you dying… TB is an opportunistic disease, which simply means that it attacks those persons whose immune system is already weak. So, your chances of becoming infected with this virus is much higher,” he posited. Dr Grant explained that if persons were affected by both diseases, their immune system would not produce the full response needed to fight. TB mainly affects the lungs so does the COVID-19; hence, infected persons’ lungs would not be able to withstand this attack.
“So, we are advising that if you have TB, it is important to take your medication daily as advised by the outreach worker. Also, it is vital that you stay home and avoid contact with persons. Your room should be well-ventilated, so open the windows and use your fan pointing it towards the window. For you it is a must that you wear a mask even while at home, especially if you live with others. A balanced diet will assist you with full recovery, so make it a priority,” he advised, adding that hand hygiene and cough etiquette were particularly important.
Guyana, like other countries around the world, is now strengthening its response to the COVID-19 pandemic by putting medium and long-term measures in place.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted, “There are worrying upward trends in Central and South America… even though the numbers are relatively low.”
He further emphasised that “make no mistake, we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time”.
According to the WHO on Thursday, there were 957,402 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 47,812 deaths in the Region of the Americas.
Globally, over 2.5 million persons have contracted the virus while another 175,000 plus deaths have been recorded.