Another positive case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) here was confirmed by Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana to five, inclusive of one death.
COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China late last year and the World Health Organization declared it a global pandemic last week.
In a statement yesterday, Lawrence revealed that a relative of the 52-year-old woman – Guyana’s first COVID-19 case, who died a little over a week ago at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) – has tested positive for the respiratory disease. The woman’s husband, her son and another relative had tested positive for COVID-19 last Saturday.
Lawrence also said that the Ministry of Public Health has since activated the Health Emergency Operation Centre, which is currently trying to locate other persons who have been in contact with the now-dead 52-year-old COVID-19 victim.
The minister said that even though COVID-19 remains under control in Guyana, persons still have to adhere to preventative measures. “The threat is real. It is not discriminatory and we must all shoulder our responsibility resolutely and be resilient in our adherence to precautionary measures that have been established,” she said, adding that persons must not overlook the impact that COVID-19 will have on the economy.
She disclosed that a ministerial task force is trying to address those issues.
Further, Lawrence indicated that the Mental Health Unit will also be providing psychosocial support to persons who are being affected mentally by the presence of the disease in the country. She assured that Guyanese will remain resilient in the fight against COVID-19 once persons take practical precautions to protect themselves and families.
“In a crisis such as this, everyone has a part to play,” she said.
Thus far, over 43 persons from the GPH have been asked to self-quarantine after they came into contact with the woman who died of COVID-19 last week. Eighteen persons related to the 52-year-old have also been asked to self-quarantine.
The four persons who tested positive for COVID-19 are currently in quarantine and are being monitored at an isolation facility in Georgetown. A number of persons from the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital were also quarantined after it was discovered that the 52-year-old woman made a brief stop at the private hospital before going to the GPH.
Meantime, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle told Stabroek News yesterday that over 70 passengers who were on the same flight with the woman who tested positive for COVID-19 and subsequently died, were located and asked to self-quarantine. Those passengers, she said, are dispersed around regions Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten. “We’re doing follow-ups and the recommendation is the same for everyone so if they came into contact with her, they have to self-quarantine for 14 days and once they are fine after the 14 days, they will resume duties,” she said.
Moreover, Gordon-Boyle revealed that some of the persons who are currently infected with COVID-19 did not show any symptoms of the disease while some did. “We have had confirmed cases without them having symptoms. They had the tests done and it was positive,” she stated, while noting that the number of confirmed cases may increase soon.
Meanwhile, additional test kits are expected to arrive in Guyana today but only persons who fall into the suspected case category will be tested. COVID-19 testing will be limited to persons who fall under the ministry’s criteria for testing. The DCMO stated that the test kits are expensive which is why they have a system in place.
She stated that in order for a person to be tested for COVID-19, any given disease would not be able to explain the etiology [cause] of the flu-like and respiratory symptoms that the person is experiencing. Other factors include that the person has a history of travel from a country where there is known local transmission of COVID-19 and has been in contact with a known case of COVID-19.
In addition, Gordon-Boyle stated, before any testing is done, a physician will have to eliminate flu cases, which are also going around.
Over the past week, a number of measures have been implemented in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. All schools have been closed for two weeks while the two international airports were closed to international passenger traffic last night and isolation facilities have been established.
