Palms staff undergo training after COVID-19 cases, 1 death

After several persons had tested positive for COVID-19, with one recorded death at the Palms Geriatric Home, healthcare workers attached to that institution have commenced training to avert any future contractions.
This was communicated by Clinical and Regional Programme Officer Caroline Hicks during a discussion sponsored by the Public Health Ministry. Hicks noted that two sessions have been completed in the past weeks, and the third is scheduled for Tuesday.
Hicks said the training entails basic practices on how to wear their personal protective equipment properly. The next engagement will feature infection prevention and control practices.
“I’ve done a second training. We’re trying with our healthcare workers there to ensure that they understand how they should care for our residents…We are going to conduct training on how the healthcare workers should put on their PPEs, and how they should take them out so they’re not infected; the way they should care for these residents; how they should use masks, and how they should allow the elderly to wear masks,” the officer claimed.
Guyana’s latest coronavirus death, Bhaneshwar Ramdial, had been a resident of that geriatric home before succumbing to the virus. The elderly man had been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital on May 1 after he had been suspected of having contracted the virus. It was reported that he had presented all of the symptoms associated with the virus, and because of his age and other factors, those symptoms had been exacerbated. The elderly man died just a few hours after being admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
A test conducted posthumously revealed that the elderly Ramdial was positive for coronavirus disease. However, the Public Health Ministry did not make the death public until May 5 – four days after.
Ramdial’s death had raised many questions, given that the Palms caters for a number of senior residents, all of whom have some form of pre-existing condition; namely, diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension, among others.
There are currently 194 persons resident in the Palms. There were suspicions that other residents and staff members may have contracted the disease, causing the administration of the Palms Geriatric Home to place a number of them under quarantine.
Apart from Ramdial, four others later tested positive.
In fact, one of them was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after his respiratory system collapsed on May 16.
In light of the unfolding discoveries, Guyana Times understands that a few domestic workers have stopped cleaning some of the wards at the Palms because they fear contracting the virus. For now, visits by family members have been banned.