Health “mingled with politics” in Guyana – PAHO Rep

COVID-19 pandemic

Country Representative of the Pan American Health Organisation, Dr William Adu-Krow has positioned that Guyana’s COVID-19 situation is heavily influenced by politics, which is having a negative effect on how the country manages the pandemic.

Speaking during a forum by the Texila American University on Friday, the health official insisted that, “Health is mingled with politics and it is difficult…It is a shame that in the last 48 hours, we had about 24 cases. My fear is come September when schools open and the end of September when we will have more air travel.”

The platform was created to discuss the next steps for the tertiary education unit,

which has been affected by the current pandemic. Given his expertise, Dr Adu-Krow shared that every country has been responding differently to the virus, and in Guyana, a higher percentage of youths are being infected that the elderly population.
“We’ve realised that a lot of our youths are getting it. All ages up to 60, it’s more than the elderly. it’s behaving differently…We’ve seen it over and over again, in every country it’s different.”
According to him, there are many facets of the virus which need to be studied, including its reaction to climate differences.
“We still don’t know the effects of the climate and we’re still battling with that…It is something that warrants more study…It’s a big issue. It’s an issue that we need to continue to study. There are many unknowns…I think there is a lot to learn and we need to open our eyes.”
He went on to say that the incorrect use of masks has posed a great threat and there are many instances locally where individuals are guilty of this practice.
“Persons use the mask and you’re not using it properly. You see people touching the outside of the masks where all the particles would have settled…It’s good to use masks, but it must be used properly. People feel that ‘I have a mask, I can do whatever I want to’,” the PAHO representative highlighted.
With questions raised about a surge in mental health issues during this lockdown, he lamented that the caretaker Administration’s input in psychosocial support has been “not good”. There has been a greater need for these services, as families are faced with many strains of supporting a household despite limited employment.
Last month, the Country Representative would have advised health authorities to prioritise sample testing in order to yield better results. At that time, 90 per cent of the tests were returning negative.
After the first COVID-19 case was discovered in Guyana, the caretaker Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence came in for mounting criticism and pressure from various stakeholders over the fact that the results from the tests were being sent to her instead of going back to the doctors, who are treating the patients.
The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) on Wednesday extended the 18:00h to 06:00h (6 pm to 6 am) curfew, while announcing a phased reopening for Guyana. The six-phase reopening plan will be rolled out with Phase 1 and the final phase of this plan will be completed on August 28.
It was noted that the current 18:00h to 06:00h (6 pm to 6 am) curfew will remain in effect for Phase 1 in all administrative regions.