Zero COVID-19 tests done in 2 days

While countries across the globe have been trying to locate and test suspected cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Guyana’s public health authorities have failed to conduct any tests in two days.
Statistics released by the Public Health Ministry on Sunday showed that same figures have been repeated on its dashboard for the past 48 hours.
It showed that 582 tests were conducted – the same number as the previous day.
This meant the number of positive cases remained at 82 with 24 recovered cases and nine deaths.
A total of three persons remained in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with 49 in institutional isolation. The only changes to the figures was a reduction in the number of individuals in institutional quarantine, from 18 to 7.
In recent times, concerns have been raised that more persons might be carrying the virus unknowingly, since the virus can manifest asymptomatically. But the Ministry has contended that only individuals with signs and symptoms of the disease or those who had been in contact with a positive case are viable for testing. There are other secondary factors which are deliberated upon also.
Some persons have even complained of experiencing symptoms associated with the virus but failing to receive medical treatment until days later.
Last month, a decision was taken to allow private institutions to conduct testing for the novel coronavirus. But soon after, the Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) said that it would only be permitting reagents and testing kits approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or “a serious reference authority”.
Guyana is currently conducting COVID-19 tests at a rate of less than one per cent of the population. Just last week, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo pointed out that based on consultations with medical professionals, enhanced testing was needed in Guyana.
“We are testing too few people and…if you have the virus, there is a stigma attached to people. So many people are afraid of being tested and they are afraid that if they test positively, they’ll be placed in quarantine facilities that are not conducive to the non-spreading of the virus or in conditions that are not liveable,” he was quoted as saying.
Caretaker Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence had disclosed that the Ministry continued to face the challenge of under-reporting from persons who have been in contact with COVID-19 cases because of the stigma associated with the coronavirus.
In recent days, regional administrations have deployed their own contact tracing exercises to find undetected cases of COVID-19. Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) thusly was able to uncover two positive cases, which were later handed over to health authorities.
Even with limited testing, there has been a stark 110 per cent increase in the number of positive cases in less than one month.