According to Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence, Guyana conducted its first test for COVID-19 on February 26 exactly two weeks before the first imported case of the virus was recorded.
Since that time nearly two months ago a total of 132 tests have been conducted on persons who fit a criteria that Lawrence says was developed by the Word Health Organisation/Pan American Health Organisation (WHO/PAHO).
Speaking during a lengthy interview on the National Communications Network (NCN), Lawrence maintained that there has never been a shortage of the test kits for COVID-19 in Guyana.
In fact according to the Minister, Guyana is able to conduct 48 tests at a time with one of these test taking eight hours to be processed. She stressed that unlike other territories which have to take their samples to Trinidad to be tested at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Guyana is able to complete the entire process right here.
Lawrence repeatedly maintained that though Guyana is in possession of 1,800 test kits only those who fit the “criteria” will be tested. This position comes days after China announced that a significant number of those infected with the disease contracted the illness from persons who were asymptomatic.
Further, Guyana’s low testing rate stands in direct contrast to that in places such has Barbados which has already tested 602 persons. The country which recorded its fifth death from the disease yesterday has 63 confirmed cases of the disease.
Lawrence also indicated during the interview that the Ministry is working to “expedite” the certification of interested private health facilities so that they can begin offering COVID-19 tests to the public.
“We are willing to have a public-private partnership similar to the one we have used in the fight against HIV…we will even share the test kits with them,” Lawrence stressed.
She added that the government here has reached out to the governments of Cuba and China for assistance in managing COVID-19 but stressed that the assistance sought is not the same as is being offered to other countries around the world.
“We are asking for specific assistance to be able to provide… Specialized personnel for areas where we are short or where we don’t have enough to go around,” she said.
The Minister did not identify the area of specialization where the country would need help but stressed that massive staff support is not necessary since Guyana currently has medical brigades from both countries which are operating.
Guyana currently has 33 confirmed cases of COVID-19 while the number of deaths remains at five.
