The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has engaged its sister ministry, Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to begin a contact tracing exercise pertaining to several of its workers, who would have come into contact with veteran engineer, Colonel John Percy Leon Lewis.
Lewis popularly called ‘Uncle John’ 77, passed away on Tuesday night after he began displaying severe symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A test later confirmed he was positive for COVID-19.
Lewis was working as a supervisory engineer for consultancy firm Egist in collaboration with SRKN Engineering on the road project.
Stabroek News understands that he last visited the project site on March 25.
Minister David Patterson, yesterday said given the positive result for coronavirus, they have begun to contact trace those workers who might have come into contact with Lewis prior to him falling ill.
Those workers are likely to be asked to remain self-isolated.
Lewis, became Guyana’s sixth coronavirus victim although this was not confirmed until Wednesday afternoon. It was confirmed by Minister Volda Lawrence, who in a brief statement during the MoPH daily COVID-19 update, said, “Please note that the tests results of the person who died last evening confirmed that he was positive.”
Stabroek News on Wednesday reported that according to Lewis’ son, Robert, his father was tested for the virus on Monday night. He revealed that his father, who worked on the Sheriff Street road works project, developed a cough but his condition was stable until last Sunday, when he exhibited a fever and had difficulty breathing.
Robert stated that after his father started having trouble breathing, he made a decision to take him to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Monday. He noted, however, that they suspected that he was infected with COVID-19 because of his symptoms.
After Lewis was admitted to the hospital, Robert revealed, he was told by officials that he would be tested for COVID-19 as he was having difficulty breathing.
“The hospital just called to say that he tested positive,” Robert noted. This occurred an hour after the Minister confirmed that Colonel Lewis died of COVID-19.
Robert also said that his mother, Juliet Lewis, passed away on March 27, but he is uncertain if she had been infected with the disease because she was suffering from pneumonia. Additionally, he stated that throughout the duration of his father’s illness, he was the only one in contact with him. Robert says that he is now in self-quarantine and as of Wednesday afternoon, had received no instructions from the MoPH.
