No new coronavirus cases in Guyana – MoPH

…14 persons being monitored
…1 person of interest being sought
…543 calls made to hotline

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)on Wednesday announced that there were no new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guyana; however, 14 persons are being monitored.
To date, there are five confirmed cases of the infectious disease in the country, inclusive of one death.
All cases trace back to one family, that is, relatives of the 52-year-old woman, who died from the disease shortly after she travelled to Guyana from New York, USA.
The four persons who tested positive for the coronavirus are currently isolated – three are adults under the age of 60 while the other individual is a child.
In addition to the four confirmed cases, there are nine persons under quarantine while there is one person of interest who is being pursued at the moment. Persons in quarantine may not necessarily display symptoms but they would have been in contact with the virus.
These announcements were made by caretaker Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, who provided a brief update on the situation via a live six-minute broadcast on social media.
In addition to confirmed cases in the country, Lawrence revealed that over 500 persons utilised the Ministry’s hotline numbers for various purposes.
As of Tuesday, the Ministry’s hotline received 543 calls of which 90 per cent were from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

Psychosocial support
With regard to the number of persons receiving psychosocial support services, Lawrence disclosed that all persons quarantined and in isolation were to be provided with support from the Mental Health Unit, with support from the Social Protection Ministry.
Speaking to the country’s response to the pandemic Lawrence iterated that the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC), continues to implement the National Strategic Plan and is meeting every 48 hours for updates in an effort to monitor the COVID-19 situation, to mitigate the spread of the disease.

Kits/protective gear
Lawrence also used the occasion to reassure that there was an adequate supply of coronavirus testing kits and personal protective gear for medical personnel. However, this has been disputed by several doctors working in the public health sector. As a matter of fact, doctors who spoke to Guyana Times on condition of anonymity said that they were concerned about this statement made by Lawrence as it was not a reflection of the reality on the ground.
Additionally, it was reported that the MoPH has been engaged in continuous education of the public through various channels. COVID-19 awareness and mitigation messages have also been translated into four Indigenous dialects – Wapishiana, Makushi, Akawaio and Patamona.
Globally, COVID-19 has infected some 414,179, with the number of deaths globally surpassing 18,440. Regionally, confirmed cases stand at 60,834 with 813 deaths in the Region of the Americas.